Although Aston Martin have won the race to sign Adrian Newey, they were far from the only team fighting to secure his signature. Initially, Ferrari were also considered front-runners to secure Newey’s services. However, for reasons explained by team principal Fred Vasseur, a deal failed to materialise.
Vasseur admits Ferrari disagreed with Adrian Newey about his role within the team
Since taking the helm at Ferrari, Fred Vasseur has overseen a significant improvement in the team’s results. After starting the 2023 season in nightmare fashion, their development over the last eighteen months has propelled them to the front.
The constructors’ Championship is even within reach, as Ferrari sit less than 40 points behind Red Bull.
Despite this dramatic change in fortunes, the Maranello-based outfit have not made any major personnel changes. Vasseur has generally kept the same technical team. The loss of Technical Director Enrico Cardile to Aston Martin is the only main exit.
Partly because of this, the French team principal was unwilling to accommodate all of Adrian Newey’s demands. It is understood the 65-year-old wanted more control over Ferrari’s development than Vasseur was comfortable with.
In short, Newey’s arrival would have resulted in a more fundamental change to the team’s technical operations than Vasseur envisioned.
Vasseur stands his ground
Speaking in an interview with L’Equipe, the Ferrari boss was candid about how talks collapsed:
“There were discussions [with Newey]. but probably his ideas were different than what I had in mind for him.
“Maybe one day we will find common ground.
“But as I said, it’s not one person who changes the outcome of a team. The group is always stronger than the individual.”
To some degree, Fred Vasseur deserves credit for sticking to his principles in negotiations with Newey. After all, it would be a concern if he was willing to compromise on his vision for the team to accommodate one person.
It also cannot be said that Ferrari’s technical structure is lacking at the moment. The SF-24 has claimed three victories this year, and has put the team within touching distance of Red Bull and McLaren in the standings.
Adrian Newey goes to a rival
With that said, failing to sign Adrian Newey is obviously a loss. Perhaps more importantly, allowing the British engineer to join another team could prove a headache in 2026.
Although the former Red Bull engineer’s demands might have been too much for Vasseur to stomach, there is no denying his record in Formula 1.
Overseeing an Aston Martin team with new facilities and an ever-expanding technical squad, Adrian Newey could have a huge impact. Of course, it is too early to make conclusions about how teams will fare in the 2026 regulations.
However, Ferrari will be under pressure to deliver when the next regulatory cycle kicks into gear. If the Italian team is not in Championship contention, the decision not to make compromises in negotiations with Newey could come back to haunt them.
For a team without a Championship in almost two decades, perhaps a more large-scale engineering shake-up was necessary. In any case, time will tell whether Vasseur’s choice was the correct one.
