Its rare a Formula One engineer is the centre of attention in the paddock yet at the Miami Grand Prix all the talk was about Adrian Newey. The Red Bull design guru announced he was leaving the F1 team with immediate effect although he will remain with the energy drinks corporation to complete the roll out of the RB17 hypercar.
In his only interview that weekend with Martin Brundle, Adrian claimed he was “a little tired” and would probably get a motorhome and travel down through France with his wife and their dogs. Of course there was immediate frenzied speculation over where Newey might end up next with Ferrari being most commentators best guess.
Ferrari bound or just wishful thinking?
“I just felt that now was a good time to step back and take a bit of a break and take stock of life, and go travelling a bit,” said Newey adding “Right now, there is no plan…”
At the time Brundle who knows Newey personally stated he accepted Adrian’s word that he had not yet signed with another team, but hinted if he did in the future, the Scuderia were favourites to land the signature of the most wanted man in Formula One.
The following weekend the Red Bull chief technical officer attended the Monaco Historique Grand Prix weekend and speaking at a media event he shared a little more on his future intentions. “I’ll have a bit of a holiday. As Forrest Gump said at the end of his long run, I feel a bit tired at the moment. But at some point I’ll probably go again.”
In the run up to last weekends race in Imola, Daily Mail F1 reporter Jonathan McEvoy penned an article which claimed Newey was “almost certainly Ferrari-bound”, and that the British engineer had in fact already signed a contract with the Italian outfit.
Newey manager sets the story straight
However, speaking yesterday on David Coulthard’s “Formula for Success” podcast, the person Adrian claimed was his manager set the record straight on Newey’s current status and future plans. Eddie Jordan was candid stating, “We all absolutely adore Jonathan McEvoy, but it’s really very wrong to be so blatant about [Newey] joining a certain team, and in this case he talks about Ferrari,” commented Jordan.
“I’m speaking as someone who should know, and I’m not giving any information away, at no stage is any of this kind of discussion happening [with Ferrari].”
Yet later in the conversation Jordan did give details of Adrian’s plans going forward.
Jenson Button gave his opinion on the matter and he felt Newey would want to remain in the UK given he has three times refused an offer to move to Italy. Further, the 2009 F1 champion believes that a remote Ferrari office in England would not suit Newey’s hands on working style.
One thing is certain Adrian will be in high demand from teams up and down the F1 paddock and Williams boss James Vowles has already had a conversation with the ex-Red Bull engineer.
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“I mean, it was a light conversation more than anything else, saying it can’t have been an easy decision, and fundamentally wanting just to have an additional chat about things,” revealed Vowles.
“But from a Williams perspective, obviously, that’s where Adrian really cut his teeth for the first time. And I think we’re a team without politics. It’s a small team that’s trying to make our way back to the front.”
However, Martin Brundle explained why his shortlist will come down to just two or three of the F1 teams because only the biggest teams with the most resources would benefit from Newey’s skills and so the plea from Williams’ team principal James Vowles is likely to go unheard.
“You’ve got to have a lot of money and a lot of resource or there’s no point having Adrian Newey,” said Brundle during an appearance on the Beyond the Grid podcast. “There will be talks, and there is going to be ongoing talks, because we have yet to decide what Adrian himself wants to do.
“If you sit him in an office, but you don’t have the goods around him and the funds to use his ideas, then there’s no point,” concluded the Sky F1 pundit.
No contract signed yet for Newey
McLaren’s Zak Brown has already ruled out a move for Newey in what looked very much like an attempt not to upset his current crop of engineers and designers, which realistically leaves Aston Martin, Ferrari and Mercedes as those with budgets big enough to maximise Newey’s working methods.
Eddie Jordan is adamant Newey has not yet signed a contract: “There will be talks, and there is going to be ongoing talks, because we have yet to decide what Adrian himself wants to do,” said the ex-F1 team boss.
Speaking directly to the Daily Mail F1 reporter, Jordan was adamant: “Jonathan, if I can only do this through our own little piece of media, love what you do but, you know, it’s not accurate. I can give my absolute life on that.
“There is no inclination to go in any particular way in the moment, we are looking at the opportunities and we are letting people come to talk to us,” the Irishman concluded.
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Wache wades in
Newey’s place on the Red Bull pit wall in Italy was taken by their Technical Director Pierre Wache who insists he feels no pressure now the limelight will fall on his shoulders.
“I think with knowing Adrian, I think everybody knows in this business, Adrian is a big man in this business and maybe the most successful engineer in F1. I think he had a big effect on us, but the team was prepared. It’s not like if we expect him for 20 years more, we have to build the team around and make sure that we are prepared for this eventuality.,” Waché said in the FIA press conference in Imola.
The Frenchman now in total charge of designing the future Red Bull cars did reveal what he would miss about working with Adrian: ”His experience, for sure. Clearly, he doesn’t give away anything. He has the mentality of a racer. That is a big thing for him. It’s very, very nice to discuss with him on that aspect.”
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Marko hints at Newey’s next team
Helmut Marko, Red Bull’s advisor, hinted at Newey’s potential destination in his typically cryptic style.
“What colour do I see for Newey in the future? I think the red clashes a bit with the dark blue. But I think with a great colour like green anything is possible,” said Marko, alluding to Aston Martin’s iconic green.
As the F1 landscape prepares for these significant changes, all eyes will be on Adrian Newey’s next move and how Red Bull navigates this transitional period.
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This weekend in Italy once again shows why Ferrari is unique amongst all the Formula One teams. Firstly they are the only competitor remaining since the inception of the sport back in 1950, but more importantly in their home country they are treated like a national team. If Ferrari wins people go to work on Monday with a smile on their faces, but when they lose the staff canteen becomes a sombre place.
Ferrari is also the most successful team in the history of the sport. With sixteen constructor championships they dominate the field with Williams behind on nine and Mercedes together with McLaren have eight each. Even the currently uber dominant Red Bull Racing has scored just six in the nineteen years since they were revived from the ashes of the…READ MORE ON THIS STORY
With over 30 years of experience in Formula 1 as an insider journalist, I have built trusted connections across the paddock, from race engineers and mechanics to senior team figures. At The Judge 13, I and a handful of trusted colleagues share exclusive Formula 1 news, expert analysis and behind-the-scenes stories you will not find in mainstream motorsport media.
