Two prominent figures at Aston Martin’s Formula 1 team may have dropped a big hint about a massive forthcoming announcement.
Adrian Newey is currently winding down his involvement at Red Bull and taking lucrative offers from rival teams about his next move in pitlane.
The latest reports suggest Ferrari has now rejected the 65-year-old engineer and renowned car designer’s organisational demands, as Newey also apparently has a whopping four-year, $100 million offer on the table from Aston Martin.
Ferrari, however, is without a technical director at the moment, with team boss Frederic Vasseur currently filling in for the departed Enrico Cardile until a successor is named.
Vasseur told Sky Italia after the Hungarian GP: "We will make an announcement about the new organisation after the summer break."
But the announcement probably has nothing to do with Newey, especially as Aston Martin ambassador Pedro de la Rosa gave a big hint about the team’s future in Hungary.
To promote a program on DAZN called ’El Juego del tabu’ that is yet to air, de la Rosa showed his colleague and friend a photo of Newey.
De la Rosa, a former driver who worked with Newey at McLaren in the past, told Aston Martin driver Alonso whilst holding the photo: "He’s someone you’re going to like ... you’d like him a lot."
Two time champion Alonso, 42, who grinned broadly when he saw the Newey photo, has expressed obvious frustration about Aston Martin’s current performance troubles recently.
He said after the Hungarian GP, where his former Alpine colleague and McLaren driver Oscar Piastri broke through for his maiden win: "I’m very happy for Oscar, he deserves it.
"He’s a fantastic kid and a great driver. McLaren has been the car to beat for a few races now," Alonso added.
"The shame is that, among so many different winners this year, we are not on that list. Not even close. We have to improve," he concluded.