Smiles, implications, silences. But also the words of Lewis Hamilton are very clear: “How much would I like to work with Newey? Very very much”. We don’t talk about anything else these days and even during the press conference on Friday in Miami the topic and the stone guest is only him: Adrian Newey. The 65-year-old English designer will leave Red Bull in the first quarter of 2025. After almost two decades at the technical helm of the world champion team, the aerodynamics engineer born in the city of Shakespeare, Stratford-upon-Avon, has decided to end with a team where, instead of dreams and projects, internal discontent and feuds dominate.
Ferrari in Miami to take back the podium, between new colors and the wait for Newey
by Alessandra Retico
Newey at Ferrari, is it the right time?
On his trail Ferrari has been around for a long time, this time it could and should be the right one to take on board the brilliant inventor of winning cars (13 drivers’ and 12 manufacturers’ titles). He was called to Maranello several times but refused to remain tied to Great Britain and his family. Last year, when talking about it, he said he was sorry not to have worked for such an iconic and prestigious Scuderia. And also not having had the opportunity to compete with a champion like Hamilton.
Aston Martin’s millionaire offer
Now, Newey could come full circle: Hamilton will go to Maranello next year and he will be free, as early as March, in order to be able to intervene significantly on the 2026 project, when the regulations change. Perhaps, with the possibility of collaborating with Ferrari partly remotely, in a super consultancy role. An attraction that will be difficult to resist and which exceeds the even millionaire offer of Aston Martin (there has been talk of 25 million euros per season with a 4-year agreement) and other teams, including Mercedes.
Adrian Newey will leave Red Bull in 2025, it’s official
Hamilton: “It would be a privilege to work with Newey”
Hamilton speaks almost as if he sees the future already fulfilled: “Adrian has a history, a curriculum and we all know the results he has achieved. It would be a privilege to work with him.” He smiles, almost keeping himself from showing too much joy. “With all the knowledge he has, it would be a huge added value. There are already many good people working at Ferrari, and the progress they are making shows it, the car is already going fast this year. But he would be an amazing addition. We will see”. Another smile, as if he had already seen it, Newey next to him, in red.
In McLaren they came close to each other
Indeed, they ask him bluntly whether he discussed his possible arrival at Ferrari and indeed made Newey’s arrival a condition with the same president Elkann: “They were private conversations, I don’t say anything. But if I had to make a list of people I’d like to work with, he would absolutely be at the top.” Hamilton and Newey have never worked together in F1 before, they were close with McLaren where the 7-time world champion arrived in 2007, shortly after Newey left to go to Red Bull. “When I arrived at McLaren, the car was the evolution of a concept he had been working on. I felt privileged to have had the chance to touch something that he had been working on.”
As if to console the orphans, Hamilton adds: “We must always remember that in a team there are many people in the background and there is no key person. I wouldn’t take it for granted that Red Bull will stop having a very competitive car. The people who Newey works with will continue to do an extraordinary job. Of course any team would be lucky to have the opportunity to work with him.”
Perez: “Newey will have an immediate impact”
More, he adds Sergio Perez, also in a conference with Hamilton who who knows is watching, despite concealing it, with a bit of envy: “Adrian, with the experience he has, has contributed a lot to the philosophy of Red Bull, so I presume he will have an immediate impact everywhere he will go or whatever he does. He is very intelligent and a hard worker. He is much more than a designer, he can also influence the strategies, the structure, he is a very strong person and wherever he goes he will lead to immediate consequences”. Hamilton approves, and smiles.
#Hamilton #calls #Newey #Ferrari
– 2024-05-03 06:49:55
