Aston Martin has reportedly made a ‘big-money offer’ for Adrian Newey, a Red Bull engineer and designer. The British driver has been connected with a departure from the Austrian constructor, with Newey recognized as a key component of Red Bull’s success.
Newey joined the team in 2005 and has previously been subject to outside interest, but he has always remained with Red Bull. That could be about to change, with Motorsport.com alleging that Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll is attempting to entice Newey to join Aston Martin with a lucrative contract offer.
According to reports, Stroll is trying to form a super-team capable of competing with Formula One’s greatest names, with Red Bull being the most dominant constructor on the grid. A brand-new headquarters has already been erected, and numerous major designers from competing teams have agreed to the Stroll project. However, if the Aston Martin CEO succeeds in his pursuit of Newey, it might be a game changer for the British team.
Attracting Newey to the Warwickshire-based team may be enough to entice Fernando Alonso to continue his contract, but it may also pave the way for a speculative move for reigning world champion Max Verstappen. The Dutchman is under contract until 2028, but due to scandals involving key Red Bull staff, most notably team principal Christian Horner, his future has been called into question.
Horner was exonerated of any wrongdoing following an internal probe into inappropriate behavior toward a Red Bull employee earlier this year, but the incident is thought to have sparked a power struggle. And the behind-the-scenes turbulence at Red Bull may compel some big-name players, such as Verstappen and Newey, to move elsewhere.
As part of Stroll’s new-look approach, Aston Martin is understood to want to be first in line if any key Red Bull personnel become available. However, it is possible that one of their drivers will be poached this year as well. That’s because star driver Fernando Alonso’s long-term future has still to be decided, with Mercedes allegedly interested.
According to Bild, Mercedes is already in talks with Alonso, whose contract with Aston Martin expires at the conclusion of this season. Coupled with the potential Red Bull departures, it appears that there may be an F1 merry-go-round during the off-season.
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