In the hot summer of the Hungaroring, the potential agreement between Ferrari and Adrian Newey has cooled. The negotiation, which began when the brilliant English designer announced he would leave Red Bull on April 1st next year, has stalled. Frederic Vasseur made the first move, flying to London to meet him, and discussions continued for over two months, reaching the stage of contract drafts. However, the outcome was not what the Scuderia of Maranello had hoped for. The conditions set by Adrian Newey to take on the role of technical supervisor proved to be more extensive and complex than anticipated, leading to a possibly insurmountable stalemate in the negotiations.
Adrian Newey’s arrival, strongly endorsed in early May by Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc during the Miami GP, would have allowed Ferrari to tap into the vast experience of the most successful technician in modern Formula 1 history, a foundation already sought through the recruitment of the seven-time world champion, who will leave Mercedes in 2025 to join Ferrari. Instead, everything has come to a halt, and speculation has resurfaced that the former Red Bull engineer might join Aston Martin, where magnate Lawrence Stroll is offering $100 million over four years, or McLaren, revitalized by Italian team principal Andrea Stella. Recently, there has been talk of Ferrari’s desire to withdraw from a bidding war for Adrian Newey’s services, sparked by Aston Martin, but it is worth noting that McLaren is not willing to spend comparable amounts.
Money is indeed a factor in this matter. However, it is not due to Adrian Newey’s personal demands, as Ferrari was prepared to offer him around $10 million per season, but rather due to the overall costs involved in the operation. The aerodynamics wizard, Red Bull’s technical director for twenty years, has requested to bring a substantial group of his trusted engineers with him, totaling twenty significant engineers. The financial impact of this deal would heavily affect the team’s “budget cap.” As is well known, only the three highest salaries of an F1 team are exempt from the budget cap regulations, typically those of the team principal and the drivers. Therefore, hiring Adrian Newey’s entourage of technicians would necessitate changes to Ferrari’s current organizational structure to free up economic resources for the 2026 car’s development and project. There was consideration of redirecting some engineers to Ferrari’s Endurance program, which has just won the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the second consecutive time, but this option was not straightforward or conclusive. Thus, the abrupt halt in negotiations was not solely due to Newey’s personal reasons, such as his desire to live in the UK.
Meanwhile, in the Budapest paddock, rumors are swirling about the replacement for Enrico Cardile, who has just left his role as Ferrari’s technical director, lured by an offer from Aston Martin. It is certain that in October, Frenchman Loic Serra, recruited by Fred Vasseur, will join Ferrari to oversee chassis and performance development. Regarding Adrian Newey, it seems he and Pierre Waché followed a development path for the RB20 that was not shared, which is one of the numerous reasons that led the British car designer to leave the Maranello team. The consequences for Red Bull are already visible, with Max Verstappen dissatisfied with the car, which has now been caught up by rivals. It is no coincidence that Paul Monaghan, Red Bull’s head of trackside engineering, stated: “Adrian Newey’s departure is a loss for the team, especially for his ability to analyze car issues individually and find possible solutions with impeccable logic, but also for his ability to harmonize the work of the entire technical office.” This is why everyone is chasing him.
