Where does Red Bull legend Adrian Newey shift to next?

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Where does Red Bull legend Adrian Newey shift to next?

GPFans have assessed Newey's 2025 team options

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Friday 21 June 2024 15:00

By now it feels like Adrian Newey has been targeted by every team on the F1 grid.

However, there is a clear distinction between rumours, and teams undergoing a serious bid for his expertise.

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Since he announced his departure from Red Bull, the attention Newey has received is akin to a star driver, with teams prepared to invest a lot of money for his talents.

Their interest is hardly surprising, aiding Red Bull to multiple world titles and creating the most dominant car in F1 history with the RB19.

With a variety of F1 teams trying to prove they are the best option for Newey, GPFans assessed whose attempts are futile, and those who were serious contenders.

Mercedes

After two difficult seasons for the German outfit, a figure such as Newey could help turn their fortunes around.

According to F1 Insider, Mercedes were willing to offer Newey shares in the team worth around £1.1 billion if he were to join.

However, team boss Toto Wolff remains doubtful that even Newey could solve Mercedes’ issues, revealing that even the ‘greatest magician’ would find it difficult.

Moreover, Wolff stated he was watching Newey’s exit like a ‘fan’, which reveals, despite his expertise, a move to Mercedes is unlikely.

Ferrari

Let's face it...everyone wants to see Newey join Ferrari.

With the seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton arriving in 2025, adding a design legend to the Scuderia's ranks is a mouth-watering prospect.

The combination of Hamilton, Newey and Fred Vasseur, has been likened to Ferrari during their dominant years with Michael Schumacher, Ross Brawn and Jean Todt.

After reports from Italy suggested Newey had already signed a deal with Ferrari it seemed a move to the Scuderia could come sooner than first thought.

However, Newey’s manager, Eddie Jordan, rebuffed claims that a contract had been signed.

Eddie Jordan is now Adrian Newey's manager

Furthermore, Ferrari have been warned that in their pursuit of Newey, they could push their current technical director Enrico Cardile into the arms of Aston Martin.

This has not quietened speculation regarding a move to the Scuderia, and still appears as one of the more likely options for Newey.

Juan Pablo Montoya added that it is not just Ferrari’s F1 pedigree that could tempt Newey, but the opportunity to design supercars.

“If Ferrari said, 'The next five supercars you're in charge of, and you've got to build the F1 car', I think he would jump on that opportunity in a heartbeat because he likes pushing beyond what's possible,” Montoya said.

The legendary allure, challenge and the opportunities outside of F1 seems like the perfect package to tempt Newey to Ferrari.

Aston Martin

Aston Martin and Lawrence Stroll have made no secret of their desire to entice Newey to the team.

The Times reported that the engineer received a private tour around the Aston Martin factory, following talks with Stroll.

Whilst the Italian media have denied these reports, Aston’s projects outside of F1 could still attract Newey, already helping the team design the Aston Martin Valkyrie (AM-RB 001) road car.

Earlier reports also suggest Newey had ruled out a move to Aston Martin, but after his tour the 65-year old could have changed his mind.

Of course the combination of one of Britain's greatest engineers and iconic British manufacturer is tempting, not to mention the possibility of a James Bond car designed by Newey.

Is Newey the missing ingredient for Aston Martin?

However, will this partnership work in reality?

Compared to Ferrari Aston Martin's driver pairing of Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso, does not possess the same longevity as Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.

With Alonso nearing the end of his career and Stroll's inconsistent performances, Aston Martin still does not feel like a team you can build a world championship around.

Outsider Chance: Williams and McLaren

Newey has already designed cars for both Williams and McLaren, but could we see him return to the teams he started his F1 career with?

The engineer iconic CV boats the 1996 Williams FW18, which won 12 out of 16 races that season, and helped launch fellow Brit Damon Hill to a world championship.

Whilst current team principal James Vowles and driver Alex Albon have made public pitches for Newey, a last dance at Williams for the engineer seems unlikely.

The team have reiterated returning to their championship winning ways is a long term project, and with Newey nearing the end of his own career will returning Williams to their championship winning ways be too much of a stretch?

Alternatively, Newey could re-join McLaren where he served from 1997-2005 and, unlike Williams, are a competitive force in F1 again.

However, McLaren CEO Zak Brown has all but ruled out Newey moving to the team, reinforcing that he is happy with his technical team and Andrea Stella.

Will Newey retire?

Whilst initially the 65-year-old might retire, following an interview hosted by friend and manager Eddie Jordan for Oyster Yachts, Newey confirmed he would not be retiring.

“Every day has just been a bonus really, I love what I do, so at some point I guess I’ll have a bit of a holiday and as Forrest Gump said at the end of his long run, ‘I feel a little bit tired at the moment’, but at some point I’ll probably go again,” Newey said.

Written by

Sheona Mountford - F1 Journalist

Sheona Mountford is a motorsport journalist specialising in F1. As a writer and contributor, she covers a wide range of motorsport series from F1 to F1 Academy, responsible for breaking news, live race coverage and in depth analysis of the sport and the culture around it.

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