Adrian Newey admits luring Max Verstappen to Aston Martin is “pipe-dreaming” as his former Red Bull colleague is only interested in racing a “fast car”.

As for when Aston Martin could have one of those, the team’s managing technical partner admits he has absolutely no idea.

Could Adrian Newey reunite with Max Verstappen?

Having played an instrumental role in Verstappen’s four World titles, along with those won by Sebastian Vettel, Newey left Red Bull last season after 19 years with the Milton Keynes squad.

After months of speculation about his next step, Aston Martin announced in September that they’d snapped up the man who Red Bull team boss Christian Horner once described as the “only bloke that can see air”.

Newey joined in the new role of managing technical partner, while also becoming a shareholder.

This weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix marked his first trackside appearance in Aston Martin racing green, where the Briton was quizzed on the prospect of teaming up with his former Red Bull colleague, Verstappen.

The four-time World Champion has been linked to Aston Martin in a reported $1 billion deal that would be one of the biggest contracts in sporting history, although the team “categorically denied” the rumour to PlanetF1.com.

Newey says it’s just a pipe-dream, at least it is until such a time as Aston Martin have the car to lure the Dutchman.

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“Max is clearly a phenomenal talent and he’s a supreme competitor,” he said as per PA news agency.

“Part of that means that Max likes to break things down to a simple equation if you like and that is, in this particular case, 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.

“There’s no point in pipe-dreaming about anything else for now.”

Asked for a timeframe on when Aston Martin will have that fast car, the design legend replied: “I’ve got absolutely no idea.”

The Briton also shared his thoughts on the team’s current drivers, double World Champion Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll.

“Fernando, he’s such a cool character,” Newey said.

“He’s been an enemy for many years along with Lewis [Hamilton], and I think I’ve said before that you can only work with so many drivers, but two drivers I always felt I would enjoy working with were Lewis and Fernando. “I couldn’t work with both, so at least I’ve got one of them.

“Lance, I think, has an unfairly bad driver rap. When you compare him against team-mates he’s been up against, Checo [Perez] and Nico Hulkenberg and Sebastian [Vettel], and now Fernando, then he’s been right there.

“Any driver who gets to Formula 1 is clearly very good, but I think Lance is much better than people give him credit for.”

Verstappen is expected to remain with Red Bull next season, the 27-year-old telling the Telegraph that while he’s not sharing his thoughts on his future with the world, Red Bull know what he intends to do.

“I mean, I’ve said it many times,” he said.

At least, he’s said it to Red Bull.

“Well, I’ve said it to the team,” he added. “I think that’s the most important thing.”

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