Aston Martin 'flattered' by Newey rumour

Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack has revealed that the British outfit is "flattered" by the rumour that they are linked to Adrian Newey, who reportedly visited Aston Martin this week.

Since departing Red Bull, the Milton Keynes-based team's former chief technical officer has been linked to both Ferrari and Mercedes, with Aston Martin now also entering the picture. 

Krack attempted to quash the speculation on the opening day of the Spanish Grand Prix, before adding that the rumour highlights the incredible work done by owner Lawrence Stroll.

"No, I think honestly, when you see how many names have been linked to our project lately and you see how all the project is, I think it's a credit to Lawrence's visions, to Honda to Aramco all the partners that we have," Krack told Sky Sports F1.

"It will be interesting to see how this goes on, but I think it gives credibility to the project. 

"Maybe a couple of years ago, if we would have these names linked to our team, nobody would have taken it serious. 

"So we are very, very flattered about that. And I think it shows that the project is critical."

Possible Mercedes performance links

Aston Martin has endured a mixed 2024 F1 season so far, with the recent Canadian Grand Prix being its best result of the year following both Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll finishing in the points. 

The Silverstone-based team are, of course, a Mercedes customer squad, with it being put to Krack whether the recent struggles for the Silver Arrows is in any way linked to Aston Martin not matching the way it started 2023.

"You see some interesting parallels here," added Krack. "We started the season off very similar to them, I think in terms of race performance, and then we did not manage to improve the way they did. 

"They use similar tools as we do, so it's something to learn for us and see how we go on about it. 

'But I think lately, we have had a better understanding of our car."