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“His ability to handle pressure, soak up pressure, he seems to have this ability where whatever is going on in his life when he puts that helmet on and gets in the car. All the noise is switched off and he can just go out and race which is mightily impressive in a sportsman.” He also reflected on Ayrton Senna during a separate conversation: “Ayrton unfortunately was only a very short relationship,” Newey said. “I mean what mightily impressed me when we were talking about drivers having interests outside of what they are always doing. “Ayrton, when I was at Williams late 1993 came to the factory for the first time. And I was given the privilege by Frank [Williams] and Patrick [Head] of showing Ayrton around the factory. “So he got to the wind tunnel and straight away he was down on his hands and knees looking at the back at rear suspension. Spotted that that was a bit different to anything that had been done before, asking all about it: why had we done this? Why have we done that? What was the purpose of this etc?” Max Verstappen is the obvious replacement for Fernando Alonso at Aston Martin Alonso has spoken openly about when he might call time on his Formula 1 career, with the start of the 2026 season approaching and him set to be 44 years old. Lewis Hamilton is the only other driver over 40 still competing, and the last time anyone raced in F1 beyond 45 was Graham Hill back in 1975. This means it’s likely that at least one seat will become available in the near future. And according to F1 Oversteer, Aston Martin might even be looking to replace both drivers by 2027. If Verstappen becomes available, every team will be interested. He’s been dominant, and any team looking for a new driver next year would have him at the top of their list. With Red Bull’s future uncertain under the new rules, Verstappen could decide to move if they’re not keeping up. There’s a clause in his contract that allows him to leave if he’s not happy with where they are by mid-season. Aston Martin are investing heavily, and with Newey already there and Honda providing engines, it makes sense why Verstappen would consider making that switch.
