Verstappen urged to reunite with Newey at Aston Martin by F1 insider

Verstappen in Red Bull tee looking concerned and pointing a finger in front of Stroll's Aston Martin F1 car on track and Newey on the right hand side in green — Photo: © IMAGO

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Max Verstappen urged to reunite with Adrian Newey at Aston Martin by F1 insider

Newey and Verstappen back together?

By Brian Van Hinthum.

Monday 3 August 2026 21:45

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Veteran F1 journalist Mark Hughes believes that Max Verstappen would be well-advised to choose a move to Aston Martin over McLaren if he ever departs from Red Bull.

The British analyst who has been covering F1 predominantly for 26 years argues that having Adrian Newey at the helm makes the Silverstone project far more attractive than joining the competition.

Verstappen’s future is a hot topic in the paddock right now. The four-time world champion currently sits in sixth place in the championship, triggering a performance clause in his contract.

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This clause means the Dutch driver could leave his current team, disappointingly placed fourth in the constructors’ standings, by the end of the season.

Aston Martin owner Lawrence Stroll has kept tabs on the availability of Verstappen, but given his team are still recovering from a catastrophic start to the season, this looks unlikely.

Newey's approach key

Aston Martin though are back on the up after upgrades in Hungary boosted performance and Hughes points to Newey as the secret weapon behind what could be a stunning turnaround.

Since taking on the roles of team principal and technical partner at Aston Martin earlier this year, Newey is already laying the groundwork for a big leap forward. In a column for The Race, Hughes highlights Aston Martin’s daring high-rake philosophy, a concept Newey perfected during his time at Red Bull.

“The fact that Newey insisted, even before the season started, that they focus on creating a ‘B’ version of the car for midseason rather than continuously tweaking the race-day car speaks volumes about his mindset,” Hughes notes.

Verstappen and Alonso urged

The top designer appears to be taking a calculated risk by allowing the car to run with an aerodynamic disadvantage during the first half of the season.

While other teams hesitate to experiment with such an extreme angle due to the challenges of controlling airflow at low speeds, Newey is using this phase purely to gather data.

“He doesn’t think like everyone else. Sure, he sometimes gets it wrong, but when he does, the insights he gains usually lead to something game-changing. History has shown this before,” Hughes explains.

Hughes advises not only Verstappen but also Fernando Alonso, the driver who secured Aston Martin’s lone point this year, to fully commit to the team’s project.

“If I were Fernando Alonso, I’d put pen to paper on a new Aston deal as soon as possible. And if I were Max Verstappen, I’d be far more excited by the challenge this project offers than by simply jumping into a fast McLaren,” Hughes concludes.