Adrian Newey ready to leave Red Bull. The Ferrari option is gaining ground more and more but here’s the situation
April 25, 2024
Lhe 2024 season of Formula 1 we are getting used to it more and more twists, even those you don’t expect. It all started on February 1st with the announcement of Lewis Hamilton joining Ferrari, after eleven years alongside Mercedes. Definitely a market coup that few, until a week ago, actually thought possible, after years and years of indiscretions. Just like what’s happening with Adrian Neweythe most awarded designer of the modern Circus. His farewell to Red Bull, of which he has been a pillar since its inception, is unthinkable, yet the rumors are becoming more and more intense and it is above all Ferrari who is hoping. Here’s what happened in the last few hours and what the scenarios are.
Lhe parenthesis of the Chinese Grand Prix has been definitively archived and only a seventh break separates us from the next event, the sixth of the season, which will be held in You love me with the new Sprint format already tested in Shanghai. The water is acting due to an indiscretion that comes from Germany, more specifically from the newspaper Auto Motor und Sport. In fact, it would seem that the moment that has been rumored since the outbreak of the so-called “Horner Gate”. To give a brief summary of the previous episodes, the Red Bull team principal was first put under investigation by the parent company producing energy drinks, and then acquitted by the same following a complaint filed by an employee, now suspended, who accused him accused of inappropriate behavior. The case, despite the acquittal, has not yet come to an end as the woman has filed a he also reports to the FIA ethics body which has yet to issue its verdict.
QThis bombshell shook the top management of the world champion team. In the first acts of this story it was rumored that super consultant Helmut Marko had been shown the door. But his role was confirmed until the contract expires in 2026. What then animated the rumors was the name of Max Verstappen which was compared to Mercedes if the situation at Red Bull had deteriorated further, especially after the discussion had between his father Jos and Christian Horner during the Bahrain Grand Prix. The number one of the Milton Keynes team denied any rumors in this regard by confirming the permanence of the three-time world champion. However, the famous Red Bull magic circle is made up of another person. We are talking about Adrian Neweyone of the greatest designers of the modern era of Formula 1, which first saw Sebastian Vettel climb to the top of the world four times and then Max Verstappen three times.
Salso according to BBC rumors, the Red Bull engineer would have communicated his desire to leave Milton Keynes at the end of the seasoneven if his contract would only expire in 2025. The one courting the British is above all the Scuderia Ferrari, who had already offered him a place of honor in Maranello in the past, rejecting the offer to stay in his country of origin, where his family lives. Things have definitely changed since then, but enough to convince him to move to Italy? A source from our Paolo Ciccarone, already during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, had almost concluded the agreement with the Cavallino team, but the situation then went on stand-by but was also confirmed several times by other sources over time. It certainly has nothing to do with the recent sighting of Neywey at Bologna airport as he only flew to the beautiful country to take part in some GT testing at Mugello.
TO wanting Newey, however, is not just Ferrari. In fact, even Lawrence Stroll, owner ofAston Martinhe would have offered him a huge amount to have it starting from 2026, when Formula 1 will change its regulations and the Silverstone-based team will switch to the Formula 1 Power Unit Honda, with whom the engineer has already been collaborating for years. Since Aston Martin’s headquarters are just a stone’s throw from Milton Keynes, the transfer would be exclusively business-related and not personal as an agreement with Ferrari would entail. However, the same card could also be played there Mercedes. Toto Wolff has never expressed his desire to acquire Newey, but the pressure to have Max Verstappen could be a pawn to move to also have the Briton.
THowever, the one still in pole position remains Ferrarithe most successful team in the history of Formula 1, the perfect place to culminate one’s splendid career, thus also following in the footsteps of Lewis Hamiltonwho preferred to wear red for his final years on the track. In addition to the stratospheric figure that the Maranello team can put on the field, What could make the difference for Newey could be the projects that the Red team has outside the Scuderia. In fact, we talk about the possibility of working with the Hypercarthe road supercars and also the world of sailwhere Ferrari is ready to debut alongside Giovanni Soldini. All passions that the aerospace engineer has cultivated for years that he would have the opportunity to pursue with greater commitment and freedom than at Red Bull and Aston Martin.
PFor Scuderia fans this could be the coup of the second, and indeed it is. Hiring a seven-time world champion like Lewis Hamilton is no small feat, but what use is his experience, along with that of Charles Leclerc, if he can’t be in practice with the right car? The Red Bull team at headquarters has already done an extraordinary job with the SF-24, especially if we compare it with its ancestor, but there is still a long way to go to reach Red Bull. The final stint could, therefore, be done with the arrival of a designer like Newey. However, removing him from the magic circle of world champions does not mean putting them out of the game. In fact, in Milton Keynes, he is only the tip of the iceberg of great engineerslike the technical director Pierre Wachéalso courted by Ferrari last year. Red Bull has made it known that it is not aware of any negotiations between Newey and other teams, with the intention of keeping him close until the end of the contract in 2025. And even if he were to leave, the British it could not start work before 2026 due to the gardening period it must respect. So, if he were to accept Ferrari’s proposal, we would only see a single-seater designed by him in Maranello in 2027.
