Claim about Adrian Newey’s faith in Fernando Alonso raises Max Verstappen theory
Aston Martin's alleged interest in Max Verstappen is not going away
A claim that Adrian Newey does not believe in Fernando Alonso’s title-winning credentials has created a theory about Max Verstappen.
Aston Martin reportedly wanted to tie Verstappen down to a long-term contract valued at $1 billion, according to the Daily Mail.
Aston Martin swiftly shot down that suggestion and reiterated their faith in current drivers Alonso and Lance Stroll.
But Newey “does not see the current driver Fernando Alonso and owner's son Lance Stroll as the formula for success for the ambitious project,” F1-Insider claims.
Alonso is “too old” and Stroll “too untalented and too unambitious”, the report insists.
Aston Martin have recruited genius car designer Newey from Red Bull, who knows about the brilliance of Verstappen all too well.
But, for now, the noises coming out of Aston Martin is that they will back Alonso and Stroll, their current duo.
Red Bull fight to keep Max Verstappen
Helmut Marko is wary of rival interest in Verstappen.
Next year the new F1 regulations will create an even playing field and every team - including Newey-inspired Aston Martin - will dream of building a dominant era.
Mercedes, tipped to have an engine to envy in 2026, have also been linked with Verstappen.
Red Bull’s Marko told F1-Insider: "We have to give him a car with which he is able to win on his own.
“It can be one to two-tenths of a second slower than others, but unlike our car last year, it has to be competitive over the whole season and on every track.
"If we don't succeed, there is no reason for Max to stay with us. You have to be realistic about that."
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
