Adrian Newey has reportedly signed a £105 million contract with a new team. All signs point to Ferrari.
After it was announced at the start of May that Adrian Newey would be leaving Red Bull in early 2025, there were already whispers about where his next quest would be. F1’s most successful and trusted engineer has since been linked to the likes of Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren and even Williams.
The current rumours swimming around the paddock are concerning a contract he has already allegedly signed. It is said to be a £105 million contract with a rival team that will span over three years. Now the word rival does seem to point to the fact that it may be Ferrari, McLaren or Mercedes, as they are close rivals to Red Bull in comparison to Williams.
However, all signs look to be pointing towards Ferrari.
A perfect match made in Maranello
With 14 world titles to his name, it will come as no surprise should the British engineer decide to join a team as prestigious as Ferrari.
Ferrari, as prestigious as they are, have had a rather disappointing two decades as of late. Their last Drivers’ Championship triumph was back in 2007 with Kimi Raikkonen. Their last Construtctors’ Championship title was in 2008. Ferrari have since been involved in a few title fights with Red Bull and Mercedes, but have been unable to emerge as the victors.
A Ferrari move may be looking even more appealing to Newey now with the new regulations coming in 2026. Should Adrian Newey join the Italian team, and have a successful run, it will be quite the tale. Bringing back glory to Maranello after more than 15 years of drought would be a remarkable achievement.
It presents a unique challenge for Newey. Should the move bear success, it will be all the more iconic for him and the team.
Not to mention, Ferrari will have an exciting and promising driver lineup from 2025 onward. F1’s most successful driver Lewis Hamilton is moving to Ferrari in 2025. Alongside him at the Scuderia will be proven talent, Charles Leclerc, arguably the strongest pairing on the grid.
It would be a great lineup for Newey to work with. In fact, in 2023, Newey revealed some regrets he had over his career. He admitted that he regretted never working with Hamilton or Ferrari.
Should Adrian Newey make the switch to Ferrari, he will be killing two birds with one stone. And should he be the one to give Ferrari and Hamilton their first title in years or Leclerc his first-ever title, it will be a success story like no other.
“Ferrari have many pieces of the puzzle when it comes to attracting Adrian Newey, they have the best drivers and Lewis Hamilton is obviously a big draw.
They have a great engine programme, a great team principal and a lot of good engineers, if Adrian and Lewis do link up that would attract the top engineering talent.
So Ferrari certainly have all the pieces of the puzzle to pull everything together, it will be fascinating to see how it all plays out.” – Mark Preston, former Principal Designer at McLaren F1 speaking to OLBG.
Success stories elsewhere
A move to Mercedes, McLaren or Williams too would be ideal for Newey. Not to mention, he has previously worked with both Williams and McLaren.
Mercedes who went from dominance to nowhere near the title fight in an instant are in need of a great redemption story. McLaren haven’t won a title since Hamilton won his first title in 2008. Their last Constructors’ Championship title was won all the way back in 1998. Williams too haven’t seen glory in recent years. They last won the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships in 1997.
Adrian Newey’s influence is known to be strong. He is no stranger to success. A move to either team would definitely reap benefits.
