Max Verstappen – for now – is not giving any thought on Aston Martin after Adrian Newey’s move, as Mike Krack opens the door for him.
The move for Newey has certainly opened up lot of avenues for Aston Martin. Not just on sponsor front, but F1 drivers and engineers/mechanics – young or experienced – too want to be part of the journey and work under a legend of the sport and learn from him.
On the driver front, there is less chance of Lance Stroll moving anywhere but Fernando Alonso has only limited number of years remaining in him considering his age. Aston Martin too would like to have a younger champion at their disposal.
One such name that started to do rounds immediately after Newey’s announcement was Verstappen. The Dutchman has been hotly linked to Mercedes, but with Aston Martin’s advancement and Honda joining the outfit, it makes them a formidable team.
For now Verstappen has played down the suggestions, but he hasn’t totally put off the idea. Certainly, team boss Krack is more than happy to have him in his ranks. He also adds on others who wish to join, and the floodgates that it has opened up with one signing.
“The door for Max Verstappen is always open, for everything,” said Krack to media. “When you manage to appoint Adrian Newey, first of all, it is proof that the project is credible, that the whole vision of Lawrence is not just words, but it is real action that we can take confidence from as a team.
“This is not an underdog team like it used to be in the past, it is a team that should be confident it can do it, but also you now have a completely different approach with partners and drivers. [Signing Newey] opens a lot of doors for the future. We will be more attractive in every area, just because of signing.
“Due to the increased credibility as it proves the project can really achieve the targets and if I was in university and would see this signing, I would say: ‘I can probably learn most there, so let’s try to get there’. So I think there will be that effect,” summed up Krack.
Verstappen, on his end, further adds that a person like Newey can persuade people to join a F1 team. “I have other worries at the moment, that I’m paying a lot of attention to and that I’m working on,” he said to media. “So, that is something maybe for the future that I think about.
“But not now. I don’t know [if it can persuade], I mean, I’ve worked with him, so I know how he is as a person, and also what he can do. I think everyone would like to work with Adrian, I guess, in their career. So yeah, potentially, it is.”
Here’s Max Verstappen on Adrian Newey joining Aston Martin
Here’s Red Bull on McLaren’s simplified car
Here’s Adrian Newey, Lawrence Stroll on the Aston Martin move
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