How much Formula 1 star designer Adrian Newey wants Max Verstappen to switch to Aston Martin—and why Flavio Briatore is gratefully declining
Max Verstappen is under contract with his current team, Red Bull, until 2028. At least, that’s the official line. But the Dutchman has already hinted several times that he could move to another team or even retire from Formula 1 before then. So what would it take to convince Verstappen to switch teams?
Long-time Red Bull designer Adrian Newey, who has been working for Aston Martin since spring 2025, believes he has figured Verstappen out: “Max likes to break things down into a simple, clear equation. In this case, that means he will choose the team he believes will give him the fastest car.”
For Aston Martin, this means: “If we ever want to win Max over, we have to build a fast car first,” says Newey. But when that will be is anyone’s guess. Not even Newey can say when that will be. His reasoning: “I haven’t got the faintest idea.”
Newey continues: “Max is an exceptional driver, an outstanding competitor. Dreaming about anything else is pointless at the moment.”
Why Briatore isn’t doing anything
Alpine team boss Flavio Briatore agrees, explaining in an interview with Le Monde: “The easiest way” to make Alpine a winning team again would be to sign Verstappen. “But we can’t do that,” says Briatore. “That’s why we have to work with what we have” — with Pierre Gasly and currently Franco Colapinto in the second cockpit.
But even without a world champion in the team, Briatore is announcing big progress: ‘I guarantee that we can win races in 2026. And in 2027, we want to fight for the title.’
The new Mercedes engine, which Alpine will use from 2026 instead of the previous Renault engines, will make a decisive contribution to this. “Because if you want to win in this sport, you need the same equipment as your competitors,” says Briatore. “For a million reasons that are now in the past, we were at a disadvantage in this area.”
He therefore made the “very difficult decision” to close the Renault engine plant in Viry-Chatillon, France. The powertrain project for 2026, which was already underway, has been discontinued and the facility will be repurposed within the group.
From 2026, “no more excuses” at Alpine
Everything to return to former glory in Formula 1: Renault, with Briatore as team boss, won both world titles in 2005 and 2006 with the current Alpine team.
Briatore wants to return to these heights as soon as possible: “In 2026, there will be no excuses: we have to be competitive. We owe it to Renault, Alpine, and Luca de Meo, who has taken full responsibility with this courageous decision.”
“We are in this sport to win – and with the new regulations coming in 2026, the teams that interpret them best will have the advantage,” explains Briatore.
Why Verstappen is so sought after
Or: The teams whose drivers know how to get the most out of the equipment will benefit. Which brings us back to Verstappen, who will practically be carrying Red Bull on his own in 2025.
Former Formula 1 driver Rubens Barrichello commented on PokerScout: “Max gets more out of the car than it should actually be capable of.”
In his view, this makes Verstappen very attractive to other racing teams. “He’s definitely a driver who won’t be short of offers from other teams,” says Barrichello. “But I don’t think that’s what’s on his mind. He’s fully focused on delivering results at the moment.”
Barrichello believes: The thoughts are coming
Verstappen will nevertheless “think about it at some point,” says Barrichello, referring to a possible move to Aston Martin. That’s because Aston Martin is “currently a good place to be with a view to the future.” But that could just be a snapshot in time: “It’s really amazing how quickly the cars evolve in Formula 1,” explains Barrichello.
“I was a real pain as a driver because when the engineer told me he had changed something on the car, I was always extremely critical. Today, you can only marvel at how fast they make these machines. It’s just impressive.”
