30/08/2025 07:50
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has conceded to surprise at the
sudden about-turn in form from Aston Martin, leaving him curious as
to whether the Adrian Newey effect is now playing a part. Although
only Friday practice at Zandvoort, Aston Martin certainly suggested
it is in the mix for high grid slots, with Lance Stroll confident
he and team-mate Fernando Alonso can be on the first two rows.
Stroll threw a spanner in the works with a heavy smash 11 minutes
into FP2, leaving the team facing major overnight repairs to the
AMR25, yet Alonso went on to finish second quickest, splitting
McLaren pair Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, with the trio covered
by less than nine-hundredths of a second. That was no
flash-in-the-pan lap from Alonso as he and Stroll were fourth and
third quickest respectively in FP1 as the twisty nature of the
circuit again appeared to play to the strengths of the car, as it
did at the Hungaroring, where Aston Martin had its best result of
the year, with Alonso fifth and Stroll seventh. Although Newey's
focus since his arrival in March has been on the 2026 car, Marko
feels someone is making a difference, given the jump in form from
Aston Martin of late. Newey, of course, left Red Bull after 19
years' service, helping the team win eight drivers' championships
and six constructors' crowns, before eventually making his way to
Aston Martin. Asked by Sky DE whether the Newey effect was now
visible at Aston Martin, Marko replied: "I don't know, but Newey is
always an advantage. "The jump is really huge. At Spa, they were
still last or penultimate [Alonso was 17th of 20], and now they are
regularly driving in the points. Surely that points to someone
there having some influence." As for Red Bull, Max Verstappen and
Yuki Tsunoda were fifth and seventh fastest respectively, with the
four-time F1 champion six-tenths of a second down, and the Japanese
driver nine-tenths off the pace. Although with considerable time
still to be found, Marko was at least relieved to an extent,
stating: "Let's put it this way, better than in Hungary. "But that
was not so difficult, and we have not yet fully found the right
balance. The harder the rubber, the easier it is for us. We also
saw that in the long run." Assessing the overall picture, Marko
feels it will be a three-way fight behind the McLarens. He added:
"Aston Martin is surprisingly strong, and Mercedes is more or less
on par. Ferrari seems to have some more problems. It might be a
battle between Aston Martin, Mercedes and us."
