Mark Hughes: Verstappen should pick Aston Martin over McLaren if he leaves Red Bull

The argument here isn't about current pace — it's about Adrian Newey's process, and Hughes uses that process to make a case that Aston Martin represents a more compelling destination than simply inheriting a fast McLaren. The detail about Newey deliberately ignoring the opening-spec car to focus on a fundamentally reworked 'B' version is the key signal: this is a man building something from the ground up, not patching. The high-rake philosophy — retained despite obvious early-season penalties — is presented as evidence that Newey is pursuing a structural advantage rather than chasing short-term data, which is exactly the kind of project that would suit a driver who wants to shape a team rather than join one. Whether Verstappen moves or not, this column is really a serious technical read on what Newey is actually doing at Aston Martin.