Former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya has cast doubt that Adrian Newey alone will be enough to carry Aston Martin to the front of the grid, insisting that what they truly need is Max Verstappen.
Aston team owner Lawrence Stroll pulled out the stops to secure Newey’s services from reigning world champions Red Bull.
But while acknowledging Newey’s genius and the team's other impressive moves to boost its engineering department, Montoya believes that a top-tier driver is essential for sustained success.
"I can't see Adrian Newey being an immediate success at Aston Martin – he needs Max Verstappen," the Colombian stated, speaking to sponsor Gambling Zone.
Montoya pointed to historic examples where a brilliant designer needed a top driver to complete the equation: Michael Schumacher at Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes, both of whom had won titles with other teams before becoming the lynchpins of their respective dynasties.
“What Lawrence Stroll has done is amazing”, he added. “He’s got the Honda deal that Red Bull had before, and now he’s got Newey.
“He’s got the two main elements that probably made Red Bull so successful. The missing ingredient is the right driver, a driver to get the job done.”
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While Aston Martin holds an engine deal with Honda that will begin in 2026 – matching the power unit that propelled Red Bull’s success – Montoya remains skeptical of the team’s immediate prospects.
He believes that the pieces will only fall into place if they can secure a driver of Verstappen’s caliber to maximize the team’s potential.
The seven-time Grand Prix winner readily acknowledged the brilliance of Aston Martin’s current star driver, Fernando Alonso, but suggested that the 43-year-old veteran might not be the team’s long-term answer, despite his exceptional form in 2023.
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As for Lance Stroll, the son of the team owner, Montoya implied that while Lance’s position is secure, he’s not the championship-winning driver Aston Martin needs to reach the top.
“Fernando is amazing,” he said. “How long can he go on? I don’t think Lance is going anywhere. When do they make that decision and go, ‘Hey, we’ve got the Honda, we’ve got Newey. Why not go after Max?’”
For Montoya, Verstappen would be the final and most critical piece of Aston’s package. The reigning world champion, who has dominated the sport in recent years, represents the level of talent needed to bring the team to the top.
The two-time Indy 500 winner suggested that offering Verstappen a long-term deal, much like the one Newey has signed, could be the transformative move that turns the team into a true powerhouse.
“Then you have one of the best drivers in the world, if not the best, the current best driver in the championship,” he said.
“The better he does, the more money he’s going to make long term because the company is going to be worth even more.”
While Aston Martin is likely to make significant strides by assembling a formidable technical team led by Newey, Montoya’s comments serve as a reminder that in Formula 1, success hinges on more than just engineering genius.
A world-class driver like Verstappen could be the final ingredient to complete Lawrence Stroll’s vision of turning Aston Martin into a championship-winning team.
Whether the team can lure the Dutchman away from Red Bull remains to be seen, but Montoya is convinced that without him, Aston Martin's dream may remain just out of reach.
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