Ferrari respects Adrian Newey, and how could it be any different? Timing is everything in life, especially in a competitive environment like Formula 1. From this perspective, Lewis Hamilton’s signing by the Maranello team was a masterpiece of misdirection, timing, and discretion that caught even a savvy manager like Toto Wolff off guard. Speaking of Mercedes, along with the seven-time world champion, Jerome D’Ambrosio has also been recruited by the historic Italian team as the head of the Driver Academy.
Ferrari’s academy is confirming to be a pool of talent and, during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weekend at the Jeddah circuit, demonstrated the effectiveness of its work with the superb debut of Oliver Bearman, an 18-year-old Brit who, thrust into an unknown world, didn’t fully reveal his potential. Ferrari seems to be the team with the most internal stability compared to Mercedes and Red Bull, two entities currently navigating somewhat turbulent waters.
While Frederic Vasseur has been in charge of the Ferrari Racing Divison for just over one year, the former Alfa Romeo boss has already led to an internal reorganization based on human resources that believe in the project of the French manager. Despite the fact that the Scuderia hasn’t won a world championship title in a very long time, there is an atmosphere of optimism, unlike at Mercedes and Red Bull, where problems are certainly not lacking.
Dysfunctional dynamics within Red Bull: an ally for the historic Scuderia Ferrari team towards Adrian Newey
Red Bull has managed the daunting task of attracting attention more for internal strife than for sporting dominance even in the early stages of the 2024 Formula One season. The internal investigation initiated by Red Bull Sport headquarters, regarding the alleged inappropriate conduct of Christian Horner towards an employee, was closed with the CEO and team principal of the world championship-winning team being absolved. Case closed? Absolutely not. Like in the best soap operas, every day brings news highlighting internal conflicts, power games, and old grudges that had not yet surfaced because success is the best remedy for calming tempers.
The drop that made the cup overflow was necessary on the sidelines of the passing of the founder of the team, Dietrich Mateschitz. Despite Formula 1 has never been and never will be the core business of the energy drink company, the Austrian businessman spared no expense to excel in the top tier of motorsport, even acquiring Paul Stoddart’s struggling Toro Rosso team. As long as he was alive, the co-founder of Red Bull was the glue that held the team’s different factions together.
The English faction, led by Christian Horner, has always claimed credit for the team’s successes in Milton Keynes. The Austrian soul is symbolically embodied on the track by Helmut Marko, who has brought some of the greatest talents of the last decade to Formula 1. Without delving into the details of the latest developments in a saga that could last a long time, we are certain that success will not be enough to convince many engineers to continue their experience in a work environment that has become “toxic”, which seems to be rewarding but apparently exhausting at the same time.
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Newey-Ferrari: the best moment to make the move
During this period, almost all the top figures at Red Bull have expressed their opinion except one: Adrian Newey. The F1 genius has always shown a reserved character, always focused on what he loves most: designing the fastest race cars in the world. The engineer from Stratford-upon-Avon, like all artists, has a free spirit, and imposing rigid protocols on him is a recipe for trouble. In his autobiography, speaking of his experience at McLaren, Adrian Newey mentioned a curious but quite relevant anecdote:
“It was a very controlled environment, you entered through long white corridors, and it took a while to reach the workplace. One day, I decided to take an alternative route, across the parking lot lawn. I received a warning email: an internal investigation would be initiated if I continued to deviate from the planned route to get to my office.”
Considering the current chaos reigning at Red Bull, imagine how a man with such a nature is experiencing this atmosphere of witch-hunt, precisely in the team where he found his perfect dimension. This is the very moment when the undisputed number one designer could complete his stellar career, joining his professional journey with the legendary Maranello team, which will have another motorsport legend at the wheel next year, named Lewis Hamilton.
Frederic Vasseur and the top management certainly don’t need suggestions, but to seduce Adrian Newey and hit the mark, they must guarantee the Briton a certain degree of freedom that can put the 65-year-old at ease to express his full genius. Conditions that convinced him to leave a Formula 1 powerhouse like McLaren to accept what at the time seemed like a mere marketing move called Red Bull.
According to the Italian media, Ferrari is indeed trying hard. Such an opportunity cannot be wasted, and as far as we know, in addition to the symbolic blank check regarding compensation, the Prancing Horse would be ready to fully satisfy all of Adrian Newey’s wishes. All thanks to the “international” management of John Elkann, who, although seizing every opportunity to demonstrate how little he knows about F1 in terms of sport, from a business perspective truly knows his stuff. In short… Adrian Newey to Ferrari: it’s now or never.
Source: Roberto Cecere and Alessandro Arcari for FUnoanalisitecnica
