Adrian Newey out to build car that will tempt Max Verstappen to Aston Martin
Aston Martin’s designer Adrian Newey has entered what he says his wife calls a “design trance” as he works flat out on the team’s new car for 2026, pointedly noting that if the team are to attract Max Verstappen to their stable the only way is to build a championship-winning car.The 66-year-old’s switch to Aston Martin from Red Bull last year was one of the biggest coups in Formula One in recent years and Newey was speaking while attending his first race with the team at the Monaco Grand Prix this weekend, having begun working with them in March.“I had a weekend off two weeks ago, other than that it’s been pretty much full on since I started,” he said.“My wife, she says I go into a design trance and I can understand what she means.When I get into this sort of period of intense concentration, where I tend to not see left and right, all my processing power is going into one area, which is trying to work with the design of a fast racing car.
”Newey announced he was leaving Red Bull in April 2024 but could not contractually begin with Aston until this season.In Monte Carlo he confirmed that since then he has been working at full capacity on their car for 2026, the first for the new regulations which will come into play that season.The team have repeatedly been linked to attempts to persuade the four-time champion Verstappen to join.Newey, who was instrumental at Red Bull in the Dutchman’s titles, said Verstappen’s head would be turned only if he was offered the right machinery.“Max is clearly a phenomenal talent, he’s a supreme competitor and part of that means that Max likes to break things down to a simple common equation,” he said.
“That is choosing a team that he believes will deliver the fastest car, so if we’re to ever attract Max, the first thing we have to do is make a fast car,”During the period after Newey announced he was leaving Red Bull, the team played down his influence on their latest car, suggesting his role had been reduced to working on it only two or three days a week,It is a claim Newey was understood to resent and disagree with,He was insistent in Monaco that his work commitment to Aston Martin was absolute,He has signed a long-term deal, worth what is believed to be up to £30m a year, and will become a shareholder.
Newey’s reputation in F1 is second to none and he is one of the most sought-after talents in the paddock.Cars he has played a key role in designing have taken 13 drivers’ and 13 constructors’ championships for Williams, McLaren and Red Bull.Since his first with Nigel Mansell and Williams in 1992, he has helped secure titles for Alain Prost, Damon Hill, Jacques Villeneuve, Mika Häkkinen, Sebastian Vettel and Verstappen.He was persuaded to join Aston Martin by the team’s owner, Lawrence Stroll, as part of the Canadian’s commitment to making them championship contenders.Newey also acknowledged he was working “99%” on next year’s car and that he felt the facilities at Aston Martin were exemplary, but that part of his task was to ensure the personnel, whom he praised as highly talented, were best able to exploit their potential.
“The factory is probably the best factory in F1 and the wind tunnel is arguably the best wind tunnel in F1,” he said,“But ultimately wind tunnels are a bit like engine dynos, you need them and a really good wind tunnel, of course, but ultimately it’s not really the thing that makes the difference, it’s the human element of the design you put into it,”
Exhausted Saints fall short again as Bordeaux’s colour and passion wins out | Michael Aylwin
A new name is on the cup. They reckon Union Bordeaux Bègles are the best-supported rugby union club in the world. To be in Cardiff was not to be disabused of the notion. Rugby is massive in France, on a par with football, and bigger in the southern half of the country. It creates a different kind of animal
Sean Williams seizes rare Test chance as Zimbabwe show love and pride in defeat | Andy Bull
On 11 June 1890 a column of three hundred colonialists crossed the Shashe River to begin the annexation of Mashonaland on behalf of Cecil Rhodes’ British South Africa Company. They brought cattle, horses and wagons, rifles, revolvers and field guns, a searchlight, a steam engine, tents, food and water. Each man carried a slouch hat, a spare shirt and pair of socks, a water bottle, a sewing kit, a belt, a bandolier, a hundred rounds of ammunition and a hand axe. And, of course, this being a very English endeavour, in among it all someone packed a bat and ball.So the first game of cricket in what would become Zimbabwe was played just over a month later, on 16 August, between the Pioneer Column’s A Troop and B and C Troops, on a patch of land at Providential Pass at what would become Fort Victoria
Ben Stokes hits out at ‘twisted agenda’ over centurion Pope’s status
Ben Stokes criticised the speculation about Ollie Pope’s position in the England team, insisting parts of the media were pursuing “an agenda” against him. On the eve of England’s victory inside three days, the captain was asked about the chances of Jacob Bethell, away playing in the IPL, returning for next month’s series against India.“If you talk about nailing down a position, Beth has done himself the world of good with the performances he put in [in New Zealand over the winter],” Stokes said. “I think you can put two and two together.”His comment was widely interpreted that Bethell would return to the starting XI, but after Pope, Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett all scored centuries as England cruised to victory by an innings and 45 runs Stokes said he “made it pretty clear” that Bethell was guaranteed no more than “coming back into the squad”
Novak Djokovic beats Hubert Hurkacz at Geneva Open for 100th title
Novak Djokovic claimed his long-awaited 100th title after producing a spectacular comeback to defeat Hubert Hurkacz 5-7, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (2) in a three-hour, five-minute battle at the Geneva Open final. “Incredible match,” he said. “Seven-six in the third with a full stadium, beautiful atmosphere. I’m just grateful to clinch the 100th here.”Djokovic becomes the third man in the open era to reach the landmark achieved by Jimmy Connors (109) and Roger Federer (103)
Northampton 20-28 Bordeaux-Bègles: European Rugby Champions Cup final – as it happened
Here’s Rob Kitson’s match report from Cardiff. A fitting tribute to a brilliant game of rugby. Sometimes this sport is a slog. But sometimes it’s a joy. This was a fitting final
Formula One 2025: Lando Norris takes pole for Monaco Grand Prix – as it happened
Here’s Giles Richards’ report from Monaco.11. Carlos Sainz (Williams)12. Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull)13. Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber)14
John Fletcher obituary
The Guide #192: How reality TV and streaming has shaped 21st-century TV
Jimmy Kimmel on Trump’s tax bill: ‘If this is the beautiful bill, I’d hate to see the ugly one’
Sónar festival hit with artist boycott over alleged links to Israel
Jimmy Kimmel on Republicans’ mega-bill: ‘Takes from the poor and gives to the rich, brazenly’
Stephen Colbert on Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’: ‘Like the husky guy at a male strip club’