Ferrari is understood to be working hard to secure the services of Adrian Newey when the outgoing Red Bull Formula 1 team's technical director becomes available in early 2025.
Newey will leave Red Bull in the first quarter of 2025 after nearly two decades with the team.
This exit point is a crucial development as Newey's contract, which was renegotiated only last year, runs until the end of 2025 and is understood to contain a 12-month non-compete clause.
If implemented, Newey would not be able to work with another team until the start of 2027 – already 12 months after a new set of technical regulations, something Newey has been very effective in exploiting.
With the help of his close friend and manager Eddie Jordan, Newey was able to secure an early exit from Red Bull which will allow him to join another team in the first few months of 2025.
Newey's stature inevitably means many teams will covet his services, but Ferrari is widely thought to be by far the most attractive move – if he decides he wants to stay in Formula 1 as part of the “new challenges” he says he seeks after Red Bull.
No deal was reached but Gazzetta della Sport reported that Newey met Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur in London in the week before the Miami Grand Prix.
Ferrari will neither confirm nor deny this, but it is understood that Vasseur – whose only comment is that he has nothing to say – is gunning for it.
If Newey joins Ferrari when he first becomes available, Ferrari will already be well advanced with its 2026 car. But not yet Newey has been able to use his insight and knowledge to influence the final design.
Newey's golden trait is his ability to think laterally, which has been proven time and time again whenever there is a new formula.
His understanding of the dynamic nature of the relative importance of each factor of performance, and the ease with which he abandons or reintroduces old traditions, often sets his team in a different direction from others who have it and then becomes the widely copied blueprint.
The 1998 McLaren, 2009 Red Bull and 2022 Red Bull are notable examples, and the 2026 Car and Engine Regulations offer a clear opportunity for replication.
Newey will be a tremendous addition to a project that has gained significant momentum over the past 12 months.
Vasseur has been widely supported by Ferrari boss John Elkann since his appointment as Ferrari team boss ahead of the 2023 season, succeeding Mattia Binotto.
The Elkann/Vasseur era has already attracted Lewis Hamilton from Mercedes in a major swoop for drivers and luring Newey would be a massive technical coup on top of other moves such as signing Mercedes performance director Loic Serra.
When asked on Thursday in Miami how much Hamilton would like to see Newey join him at Ferrari, the seven-times world champion replied: “Very much.”
Hamilton, who also said Newey would be “at the top” of his list of people he would like to work with, added: “Adrian has a great track record and has obviously done a fantastic job over his career.
“He will be an amazing addition. Ferrari already has a great team and has made huge strides this season, but it will be a pleasure to work with him.
Future team-mate Charles Leclerc, already at Ferrari, struck a very similar tone – openly admitting he would be “very happy” if Newey's move came through.
“I think Adrien is one of those people you hope to work with one day in your career,” Leclerc said.
“We have a great team at Ferrari at the moment, and in the last seven to eight months we have been the team that has progressed the most. However, adding Adrian to a team like this would be great.”
He also described Ferrari as having “certainly” put itself in a better position over the past year to pursue signings of Newey's calibre.
“I'm really happy with the way things are going, and I think we're in a good place to attract the best people in the world.
“We are a very good team already. But whatever it is and who can come in to make it stronger is very important, and Adrian is one of those people who can make a difference.”
