Max Verstappen says he is not ruling out an Adrian Newey reunion at Aston Martin in the future.
Design guru Newey was behind the Red Bull cars that delivered Verstappen's three drivers' championships, but his departure was confirmed earlier in the year and he has now signed for Aston.
He will take on the role of technical managing partner from next year, signing a deal worth a reported £30 million annually with the 65-year-old tasked with taking Aston Martin from also-rans to champions.
Verstappen clearly rued Newey's impending exit when it was initially confirmed and now his next destination has been revealed, the Dutchman was asked about one day driving a Newey-designed car once again.
"I have other worries at the moment that I'm paying a lot of attention to and I'm working on that," he replied when it was put to him that Aston boss Mike Krack had said the door would be open to Verstappen to join the Silverstone-based squad.
"That is something maybe for the future that I think about, not now. Adrian and I, we have a very good understanding. I sent him also a message after the news came out, even though, of course, I knew that it was coming. So I'm happy for him.
"It's a new challenge, of course, I always said I would have loved him to stay. But at one point you can't overturn these things. So, then you're just excited for people seeking new challenges.
"I also know that Lawrence (Stroll), of course, is pushing flat out to make it a success with Aston Martin, so it's quite understandable, of course, that he wants to have Adrian on his side."
The hook of working with a team headed up by Newey has proved enough to attract some of the best drivers across Formula 1 for the last three decades.
Verstappen believes that could still be the case from 2026, when the first telling input from Newey will be tested under the new regulations.
"Yeah, I don't know. I mean, I've worked with him so I know how he is as a person, and also what he can do. I think everyone would like to work with Adrian, I guess in their career. So potentially, yes," he added.
Newey's announcement was just one of the subjects up for discussion as the drivers arrived in Baku for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix this weekend, with McLaren's introduction of team orders also a hot topic.
But, aside from offering his take on Newey's new role, Verstappen was crystal clear that he was drowning out the noise in an attempt to get his ailing title bid back on track.
After struggling to a sixth-place finish at the Italian Grand Prix last time out, Verstappen once again bemoaned the lack of performance in his Red Bull and claimed their recent form meant defending both the drivers and constructors title had become an "unrealistic" ambition.
Now he is in Baku and swatted aside a lot of the questions posed by journalists looking to get the three-time champion's take on the latest goings on in the paddock.
He cited "other worries" and how he must be "better myself" to a number of questions, including whether Mercedes and Ferrari emerging to take points off Norris and McLaren can help him in the title scrap.
He bemoaned his "own problems" when asked for his take on McLaren changing their Papaya Rules to back Norris as he looks to close the 62-point gap to Verstappen at the top of the standings.
"We still have a lot of work to do but I do think that in a way Monza is positive to learn more about the car, basically," he said as he went on to open up on the recent issues plaguing Red Bull.
"Now it just takes time to make the car better, to understand our weaknesses, which I think we did. Now it's about just trying to find solutions for it. I also noted that it's not coming within one or two weeks, from when you understand your problems.
"But I hope that from now onwards we can just look ahead and try to be better - and not like in Monza."
