Max Verstappen reacts to Adrian Newey joining Aston Martin as Red Bull push to fix RB20’s problems

Max Verstappen has wished Adrian Newey well at Aston Martin after it was finally confirmed that the Silverstone-based outfit will be his next destination when he leaves Red Bull.

Aston Martin announced on Tuesday that Newey – who is seeing out his final few months at Red Bull after almost two decades on board – is set to join them as their new Managing Technical Partner on March 1, 2025.

It brings to an end a lengthy collaboration between driver and engineer, with Verstappen claiming all of his 61 Grand Prix wins and three world titles to date in Newey-designed cars.

Newey’s plans being confirmed also coincides with a challenging spell for Red Bull, who have gone without a race win since June’s Spanish Grand Prix, shortly after their star designer stepped back from F1 duties.

Verstappen and Newey have enjoyed plenty of success together at Red Bull over the years

Asked about the issues Red Bull have encountered with the RB20 since Newey moved off the front line, and whether he was surprised to see the 65-year-old sign for Aston Martin, Verstappen replied: “I’m not surprised, because I knew it was coming.

“From my side it’s very difficult to know how the team is operating and stuff… I’m happy for Adrian, I quickly spoke to him, but it’s just different challenges, right? When you’ve been with the team for a long time, I can also see that maybe for him, [it’s] a new challenge.

“For sure, I know that Lawrence [Stroll, Aston Martin owner] is pushing flat out to make it a success and of course I hope for them that it can be a success.

“From our side, we’ve had some issues with the car and now we’re just trying to fix that. It’s not like from one to the other weekend it suddenly is all done. Especially with the budget cap as well, it’s not that easy to turn the car around. We have to be a bit patient.”

Adrian Newey moves to Aston Martin

Pushed on how much Newey vacating his F1 responsibilities has affected Red Bull, the Dutchman added: “It’s difficult to tell, to be honest. At one point, if someone decides to leave, you have to also in a way move on.

“You’ve had a lot of success together, but you can’t just stay in the past, you have to look forward. That’s what we’re trying to do. We’ve had a few difficult weekends, we’re trying to understand the car better, basically, and trying to be more competitive.”

Earlier on Thursday, Aston Martin team boss Mike Krack stated that “the door is always open” to Verstappen, should he wish to follow in Newey’s footsteps and race for the squad in the future.

Verstappen heads into this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix with a 62-point advantage over Lando Norris in the drivers’ standings, while McLaren are now just eight points behind Red Bull in the constructors’ battle.