Verstappen has worked closely with Newey in the past, when the pair both worked at Red Bull Racing, and the duo proved to be successful, with Verstappen becoming a four-time champion in four cars designed by Newey.

However, Newey left Red Bull after the better part of two decades with the team, to join Aston Martin and design their AMR26 car for the new technical regulations that come into place next season. This technical regulation change will see the introduction of active aerodynamics, and will see changes to the engines as well.

Newey has now been announced as the Team Principal of Aston Martin for the 2026 season, a role which he has never held at any team throughout his career.

Responding to the announcement that Newey will become a Team Principal, Verstappen said: "It's probably something that you see in more teams, right? Someone more technical is taking on the role of team boss, and I guess Aston is going the same way. I'm happy to see that, I don't know of course how much that will change in the involvement of the car for Adrian, but I'm sure he will do well."

When asked if Newey will make for a good Team Principal, Verstappen replied: "Time will tell, right? I've never spoken to Adrian about it, it was never an option at Red Bull of course. I don't know what the ambition was or whatever, but I'm happy for him! He's in a different team environment now. I'm just sitting here, enjoying it! Happy for him, and I hope that the team will benefit from his knowledge at the end of the day."

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