Reports suggest that Ferrari has withdrawn from the race to secure Adrian Newey, the designer set to leave Red Bull after this season. One of the reasons is that the Brit does not want to permanently relocate to Italy, where Ferrari’s headquarters (Maranello) is located. Aston Martin now appears to be in the best position.
Monster Contract on the Table
There was a lucrative contract waiting for him. Following Lewis Hamilton (who is moving from Mercedes next year), Ferrari had set its sights on another British reinforcement. In this case, Adrian Newey, the designer of numerous championship cars at McLaren, Williams, and those of Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen at Red Bull. The 65-year-old Brit has never made a secret of his desire to work for Ferrari someday.
The chances of that happening seemed very high. Team boss Fred Vasseur spoke with Newey several times and presented him with a lucrative contract. The signing was supposed to be a mere formality. However, according to Motorsport Italy, there has been a hitch. The Brit has decided he would rather stay in England, and Ferrari is not planning to increase the already substantial salary proposal.
Ferrari’s Reluctance and Aston Martin’s Interest
Ferrari’s reluctance is understandable given Newey’s desire to take on an advisory role, which would mean working remotely rather than at the headquarters in Maranello. The Italian racing team is not in favor of this. Aston Martin and Newey’s former employer McLaren seem to be in the best position to lure the designer. In particular, Aston Martin CEO Lawrence Stroll is doing everything he can to sign him.
Newey was recently given a private tour of the brand-new factory of the racing team in Silverstone, it is claimed. Stroll does not do things by halves in his ambition to make Aston Martin a championship team. The Canadian billionaire lured Dan Fowles (now technical director at Aston Martin) away from Red Bull two years ago, and last week he strengthened the cadre with the arrival of top engineers Enrico Cardile (Ferrari) and Andy Cowell (Mercedes).
