Charles Leclerc's body language doesn't lie amid Adrian Newey question

Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz are ready for the Formula 1 weekend in the United States. An important event for the Italian team, full of celebrations. However, in the usual Thursday media day and interviews with the various journalists, attention seems to be focused off the track, as expected given the fact that the Adrian Newey topic is dominating the headlines and therefore the media questions. The move of the brilliant English designer from McLaren to the Austrian team, at the time, seemed like a huge gamble that could compromise Adrian Newey’s brilliant career. But Red Bull was smart to give him the time and freedom that the English engineer demands as a non-negotiable condition.

A professional who cannot be confined by internal policies and obligations akin to any employment contract. The British car designer spends no more than 50% of his working hours in the factory and is certainly not the first professional to enter and the last to leave the office. Like all artists, his inspiration cannot be restrained. All teams understand this and are making false moves just to hire him. At this point, it will be very interesting to understand Adrian Newey’s legacy and for how long he will continue to guarantee success for Milton Keynes’ single-seaters.

In Williams, it only took a year, while McLaren managed to maintain good levels of competitiveness for longer after the departure of the greatest engineer of the modern era of Formula 1. That Scuderia Ferrari is the number one candidate to secure Adrian Newey’s services seems almost an open secret. In hindsight, all the recent moves of the Prancing Horse seem geared towards the arrival of the British engineer, forming with Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc, and Frederic Vasseur a new dream team for the 2026 championship, potentially capable of rivaling the one that brought the red car to the top of the world at the beginning of the third millennium. It was Michael Schumacher, to be clear.

Charles Leclerc, body language doesn’t lie

In the usual space dedicated to the meeting of the drivers with the media, Charles Leclerc did not hide a certain embarrassment in admitting that Adrian Newey is one of those professionals in the paddock with whom he hopes to collaborate in his career, as soon as possible. Without mincing words, the Monegasque driver admitted that the former Red Bull designer is a step ahead of the competition, always proving it with facts: “Wherever he has worked, he has had great success.” – Charles Leclerc pointed out. The feeling is that for obvious reasons, Charles Leclerc cannot express all his joy for the choices made by the Maranello team that should offer him the opportunity to fulfill his ambitions.

It’s a kind of pressure cooker that struggles to keep a low profile, despite the choices already made and those that will soon be announced. With this mood, the Ferrari driver explains that it’s complex for him to comment on the matter. This is because it’s a situation that is not within his control. However, for the Monegasque driver, Adrian Newey remains undoubtedly the key technical figure in the market and one to keep an eye on. He’s a man that everyone in the paddock would like to have in their team. The reorganization of the Scuderia Ferrari carried out by team principal Fred Vasseur has once again brought a lot of energy, providing a lot of appeal to the historic Maranello-based team.

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If Lewis Hamilton’s signing can be attributed to every driver’s dream of sitting in the cockpit of a Maranello single-seater, the potential arrival of Adrian Newey would certify the quality of the work done by the French team principal. To draw a parallel, Fred Vasseur’s Ferrari is much further ahead than the Maranello team was when Ross Brawn and Rory Byrne arrived. In addition to financial, human, and infrastructural resources, a professional of Adrian Newey’s caliber is convinced by providing him with an internal organization with a level of maturity ready to take off and open a winning cycle.

Charles Leclerc reiterated this point, explaining that among the strengths of the French manager are the overall vision of the organization and the ability to place people in ideal divisions, actions necessary to bring out the best in each of them. In this way, the Maranello team is allowed to have a clearer vision and to concentrate all energies only on specific goals. The much-desired transparency, often absent in Mattia Binotto’s mandate, finally makes its presence felt. An indispensable prerogative to move forward in work, grow, and lay the groundwork for a better future. A learning curve ready to undergo a sharp upward trajectory.

On the other hand, Carlos Sainz is experiencing a truly superb start to the 2024 Formula 1 season with Ferrari. Despite being forced to miss a race, Saudi Arabia, due to urgent appendix surgery, the Spaniard has delivered great performances. One standout was his victory at the Albert Park circuit in Australia, even though the race weekend in Melbourne was scheduled just about a week after his surgery. Carlos Sainz has a deadline looming over him. The Prancing Horse has decided not to renew his expiring contract in order to focus on Lewis Hamilton. It’s an unexpected move by President John Elkann, who has never hidden his utmost esteem for the seven-time F1 world champion.

This choice significantly impacts the Spaniard’s career, forcing him to find a new home on the eve of his thirtieth birthday. The moment is quite delicate. The offer from Audi isn’t convincing. Taking a sabbatical year at Stake and taking a leap into the unknown with the German team is somewhat daunting for him. The Spaniard would prefer to have more certainty. Hence, Mercedes and Red Bull are more appealing destinations. Especially the latter, as reported by various media outlets, since the possibility of Max Verstappen moving to Brackley would offer Carlos a truly top seat.

That’s why Sainz is hesitating in some way. In the usual Thursday interviews, leading up to the Miami Grand Prix, he himself said, “I don’t decide” referring to his future. He’s essentially leaving tomorrow to fate because he could indeed decide his next team (Audi) if he wanted to. “I talk to everyone and I’m waiting for the various teams to make decisions that are not up to me. Unfortunately, I have to wait,” he said. These words confirm our speculation that the Spaniard is aiming much higher than the offer from the five-ring company. It makes sense; after all, we know his dream well.

The Spaniard doesn’t want to miss the chance to become an F1 world champion. It’s a long-held aspiration on which he strongly focuses. Therefore, it’s not strange that the risk of being left “stranded” is among the possibilities. The timing isn’t ripe yet. The wait lengthens, and most likely, we’ll have to wait until well into the summer to learn more. Meanwhile, to keep the dream alive, Carlos Sainz must be capable of giving his best every race, perhaps staying consistently ahead of his teammate, to convince potential employers that such a choice would be the right one.

Besides the future, there’s also the present for Carlos Sainz. A Formula 1 weekend where once again, consecutively in this season, the Sprint Race takes the spotlight. It’s a competitive context challenging to manage due to the limited time for technicians and engineers to work on the cars and make them as fast as possible. Sixty minutes in the first and only free practice sessions, where the historic Italian team aims to optimize setup work to provide Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz with the best version of the SF-24. It won’t be easy, but from the 2024 Formula 1 championship, the wildcard of the double closed-park offers a tempting opportunity to sort things out on Saturdays.

Ferrari struggles in the driven sections of circuits. It’s a negative characteristic of the red car that, on the contrary, was a strong point last season. That’s why the drivers will have to “build” the lap differently. Carlos Sainz acknowledges this but adds an interesting detail. He emphasizes the difficulty of the Maranello-based car in slow corners which, however, in Miami, might have less impact on the lap considering their type: tight turns rather than long-radius ones. This offers some hope for positivity because Ferrari should adapt much better and not suffer as it did in Shanghai.

Another important issue is on the Spaniard’s mind. We refer to the lack of updates on the red car, which, since the start of the championship, hasn’t changed even a comma in terms of aerodynamics and mechanics. On the contrary, direct competitors are doing it or have already done so. Think of Red Bull, McLaren, Mercedes, and Aston Martin. The Ferrari driver wonders if this factor might weigh in Florida. It’s a scenario that certainly shouldn’t be dismissed and instead should be closely considered, for Carlos Sainz. This, while waiting for the Imola round, where finally, an important package of novelties is expected for the Ferrari SF-24 car that could propel a leap forward in performance and reduce the gap to the Red Bull RB20 cars.