Juan Pablo Montoya is convinced that Max Verstappen would be a good leader for Aston Martin F1 in the future. The former Formula 1 driver praises the level of Fernando Alonso, and even that of Lance Stroll. However, he envisages that neither of these two drivers will have continued with the team within three years.
“I don’t think Lance is as bad as people say.” Montoya said. “He has improved, but I’m not sure what he is missing or what he needs. I think what is difficult is knowing when Fernando will benefit from the involvement of Adrian Newey.”
“If everything goes well, Aston could win in 2027 or 2028, not before. But in 2028, Fernando will be 47/48 years old. So, who will be there? And by then, will Lance still want to race? ”
The Colombian imagines this scenario and reminds us that it would not be so surprising: “It wouldn’t be the most surprising thing in the world to see Max Verstappen join Aston Martin, right? Honda and Newey would be quite happy to have Max behind the wheel of the car.”
Informed of the speculation on his account on the subject, the four-time world champion refuted the idea that he is interested in joining the Silverstone team at the moment: “No, I haven’t talked about it either, nothing at all. So far, I haven’t thought about it at all.”
Earlier this year, Aston Martin owner Lawrence Stroll said Newey’s arrival was a game-changer for the team.
"He has to sell it like that, of course," a ri Verstappen.
He admits that “Newey has been a game-changer for Red Bull, but he has focused less on Formula 1 in recent years than in the past.”
“In recent years it hasn’t been a one-man team. There are a lot of engineers involved. But of course it’s very nice to have someone like that on the team. “
But did he really not spend a single moment considering following Newey to Aston Martin?
“Non,” insists Verstappen again. “It’s very clear.”
However, the Dutchman has not completely rejected the idea either, and he recognizes that changes could come in the coming years: “In 2026, of course, there will also be new rules. But for now, I’m not very busy with that, to be honest.”
“I’m still very young, so a lot of things can still happen in the future. For me, it’s not just F1. After that, I also want to do a lot of things. I’m thinking about that too. Who are the right partners for this? These are things I’m thinking about, but I don’t necessarily have to make a decision right now.”
Meanwhile, another long-standing key member of Verstappen’s engineering team, controls engineer Michael Manning, will no longer be part of the traveling racing team full-time in 2025.
Manning envisage “a different, more important position” chez Red Bull.
