Rosberg warns Aston Martin F1 team not to become PSG
Former F1 champion Nico Rosberg has warned Aston Martin not to turn into Paris Saint-Germain in their pursuit of racing success.
The German likened the hiring of design guru Adrian Newey, reportedly for £30m per season, and others to the Parisian Ligue 1 club having Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe on their books at the same time.
The ex-Mercedes racer said spending money doesn’t buy a team that gels.
“Look at PSG, in soccer,” Rosberg said. “They had Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, all three at the same time. Three of the best soccer players of all time, and all the others were very good as well.
“And they never won the Champions League. Because, of course, it’s great to bring the greatest geniuses, the best managers on board.
“However, they still need to then gel, work together optimally, because you’re only as good as the whole team is collaboratively.”
“Added Rosberg: Adrian Newey on his own is not going to be able to make that car a world-championship-winning car. He needs the rest of the team.
“Of course, he can give them a good direction, he can give very good guidance, but he still needs the team to excel with him.
“That remains to be seen. That’s going to be a challenge definitely for them to integrate and make that into a family that is all pulling in the same direction.”
Newey will be joined at F1 team Aston Martin by former Red Bull heavyweight Dan Fallows, who moved to Lawrence Stroll’s team in 2022.
Newey’s exit from Red Bull kickstarted an exodus of big names from the current Constructors’ Championship holders.