F1 | Newey Gives Up Ferrari, Focuses on Aston Martin or McLaren

The road to bring Adrian Newey to Maranello has become a very steep climb. Rumors that have emerged in recent days indicate Aston Martin and McLaren as the two possible future destinations for ‘Genius’, with the former currently in an advantageous position.

When the divorce between Newey and Red Bull was made official on May 1st, a series of speculations began about the British engineer’s destination, a long list of teams with Ferrari firmly at the top.

There are those who went further, claiming during the Miami weekend that the agreement between Newey and Ferrari was already signed, sealed on the eve of his departure for the United States. This is not the case. The negotiation between Frederic Vasseur and Newey took place, and probably went beyond the classic preliminary interview, arriving at a detailed proposal.

The one with Ferrari was however one of the various negotiations carried out by Newey (assisted by Eddie Jordan) committed to putting all the available options on the table. In parallel Newey spoke with at least three other teams, including Aston Martin (the first offer from Lawrence Stroll dates back to last March), McLaren and Williams.

All this in the name of rigorous confidentiality, also due to the commitment made by Newey with Red Bull not to disclose information regarding his future before September. Among the insiders the rumors have obviously continued, arriving at the scenario of the last few days in which the final choice seems limited to just two teams.

Some have seen the departure of Martin Whitmarsh, CEO of Aston Martin, as a signal, as he was not particularly liked by Newey due to his stormy exit from McLaren in 2005. There is a story, known in the paddock, according to which it was Whitmarsh who ordered McLaren security men to take Newey from his office in the new headquarters in Woking and escort him to the car park, including a walk through the technical department with all the employees at work at the time.

The rumors about Ferrari have gradually faded and then died out completely. The latest rumors have brought back the firm position of the Cavallino executives, who do not intend to be involved in an upward auction on the salary front.

Cardile’s departure has left the most important role in the technical department vacant, but it is not a space that a figure like Newey would occupy. Priorities may have changed in Maranello, at the moment the greatest urgency is to have the man at the head of the project, a figure that takes priority over a consultant (very special, obviously) who has made it clear for some time that he does not want to be involved in a daily presence program.

Zak Brown and Andrea Stella: Did McLaren bosses go after Newey?

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

The quietest negotiations so far have been those of McLaren. While in the case of Aston Martin there was a stir with Newey’s visit to the new headquarters in Silverstone (which required all employees to leave for two hours), there are no signs that allow us to get an idea of ​​the depth of the discussions with Zak Brawn and Andrea Stella.

There are those who claim that negotiations have stalled, as well as those who believe that his former team could be the surprise ending to a saga that began three months ago and is destined to continue for another two. But it could not have been otherwise, given that at the center of the scene is the technician who has won the most in the history of Formula 1, a person who has been able to shift the technical balance for over three decades.