Ahead of Hamilton’s arrival at Maranello next year and in the wake of Newey’s decision to leave Red Bull, Ferrari is understood to be trying to convince the design genius to move to Italy to help create a superteam.
If his proposals come to fruition, it would be a huge boost to Hamilton’s future title hopes, after he agreed last winter to join the Italian firm from 2025.
Newey will be free from next March, so it is still quite early to be able to influence the cars of the new regulatory era arriving for 2026.
On the eve of the Miami Grand Prix, Hamilton declared that he would be “very” enthusiastic about working with Newey, but did not want to reveal whether a possible offer to the British engineer was part of the negotiation that led him to sign with the Prancing Horse or less.
“I mean, these are private conversations,” Hamilton said. “But if I had to make a list of people I would like to work with, he would absolutely be at the top of the list.”
Hamilton added that it is clear that Ferrari is making great strides in F1 at the moment, and any success achieved under Newey would only further help its progress towards a return to winning ways.
“Adrian… has a really great history and track record,” Hamilton added. He has done an extraordinary job throughout his career, engaging with the teams and with the knowledge that he has, and I think he would be an extraordinary addition.”
“I think they already have a great team. They are already making huge progress, steps forward, and their car is faster this year. It would be a privilege to work with him.”
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images
Hamilton and Newey have never worked together in F1 before, although he came close during his time at McLaren, which the British driver joined in 2007 shortly after his technical chief moved to Red Bull.
“When I joined McLaren, I think it was an evolution of their car,” Hamilton added. “I think I arrived soon after he left, so the car evolved from a concept he had worked on. I felt privileged to have had the chance to touch something he had worked on.”
While some have suggested that Newey’s departure from Red Bull will be a major blow to the team in the coming years, Hamilton isn’t so sure.
“We always have to remember that there are a lot of people in the background and there is no one key person,” he said. “It’s not just one person.”
“It’s a whole team of people doing the work. So, you can imagine that with all the amazing experience he brings to the team, the people he works with will continue to do amazing work.”
“I don’t think Red Bull won’t continue to build great cars in the future. But any team would be lucky to have the opportunity to work with him.”
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