Verstappen to Aston Martin? 'Maybe something I think about for the future'
F1 News
With Adrian Newey joining Aston Martin, the Silverstone-based team continues to strengthen itself in its hopes to become a world title challenger. The next step is to have two absolute top drivers, with Max Verstappen's name being one of those mentioned. The Dutchman's sheer talent and experience working alongside Adrian Newey at Red Bull make him a viable option for Lawrence Stroll's team. Aston Martin boss Mike Krack said in Baku that the door is open for Verstappen to join. Naturally, Verstappen was asked about these rumours on media day in Baku.
Aston Martin's ambitions are sky-high, and Max Verstappen would certainly feel at home in an environment like this. The three-time world champion did not want to speculate about a switch from Red Bull to Aston Martin in Azerbaijan, however. "I have other worries at the moment that I'm paying a lot of attention to and that I'm working on," Verstappen told GPblog and others. "That is something maybe for the future that I think about, but not now," he revealed.
Verstappen: 'I would've loved Newey to stay, but I'm excited he's found a new challenge'
Should Verstappen decide to move to Aston Martin, he would be reunited with Newey, the man he worked with for many years at Red Bull. The Dutchman holds no grudge and is glad Newey has embarked on a new challenge, despite his hopes that Newey would stay at Red Bull. "To be honest, that's fine because Adrian and I have a very good understanding," Verstappen said.
"I sent him a message after the news came out even though of course I knew that it was coming. I'm happy for him. It's a new challenge. I always said I would have loved him to stay but at one point you can't overturn these things, and then you're just excited for people seeking new challenges. I also know that Lawrence is pushing flat out to make it a success with Aston Martin so it's quite understandable that he wants to have Adrian on his side." Verstappen concluded.
For now, the 61-time Grand Winner winner is fully focused on his title defence after a string of tough races for Red Bull. The Milton Keynes-based team will be hoping for a return to form in Azerbaijan this weekend.
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This article was written in collaboration with Ludo van Denderen.