Ferrari loses Adrian Newey due to arrogance of mediocre management. Fred Vasseur considered Adrian Newey's demands excessive and part of his decision-making scope.

The future of Adrian Newey seems to have been decided: far from Ferrari, the brilliant British designer will join Aston Martin, contributing to the ambitious project aimed at bringing the British Racing Green cars to the top of the Formula 1 world. The significant investments by the group of entrepreneurs led by Lawrence Stroll are evident: the renovation of the Silverstone headquarters, the construction of a state-of-the-art wind tunnel, and the exclusive agreement with Honda starting from the 2026 Formula 1 championship are just some of the milestones of this plan.

The Canadian entrepreneur is not simply seeking visibility but aims to leave an indelible mark on Formula 1 history. In recent years, the strengthening of the team has been underplayed, which now seems to have peaked with the hiring of Adrian Newey, an engineer whose cars have won almost as many victories as Scuderia Ferrari, namely 215 versus the Prancing Horse’s 243. After a long courtship by the historic Italian team, Adrian Newey was finally won over by Aston Martin’s medium to long-term plans.

Certainly, the English team, born from the ashes of Jordan, is building a top-level team. Starting October 1st, Andy Cowell, former head of Mercedes HPP engines, will take on the role of chief executive officer, replacing Martin Whitmarsh. Recently, Italian aerodynamicist Enrico Cardile, who at the beginning of the year was appointed technical director of Ferrari, also succumbed to the allure of the British team. We should not forget the presence of Luca Furbatto, who, as engineering director, interfaces with the team principal and technical director, coordinating the activities of various departments and testing facilities.

In summary, Aston Martin is assembling a high-profile team, ready to compete at the highest levels of Formula 1. Besides the lavish contract, Adrian Newey will be able to continue working in his comfort zone, maintaining the autonomy and decision-making power that have characterized his experience at Red Bull. Aware of his abilities and the added value he has always brought to the teams he has worked for, the British engineer has always wanted to have a say in non-strictly technical matters as well.

This desire to be central to the team’s sporting project has been known since his time at Williams. Ferrari, for the umpteenth time in nearly four decades, tried to recruit the absolute talent in aerodynamics, and this time it seemed that the union might finally happen. The financial factor was partly an obstacle, but according to reports, the negotiations stalled due to the delegations requested by the English engineer. Adrian Newey had indeed demanded a kind of decision-making power regarding the hiring of new technicians and technological partners, tasks that Frederic Vasseur considered excessive and part of his decision-making scope.

The reason is simple: accepting Adrian Newey’s demands would have placed him in a role more important than Frederic Vasseur’s in many ways. Despite the fact that there might have been room to reach an agreement, it seems that Ferrari’s team principal, the ever-cheerful French manager, did not appreciate the requests of the legendary car designer. Proof of this is that, from a certain point onwards, the Frenchman’s statements about Adrian Newey’s possible arrival became more vague, emphasizing the importance of the group rather than the abilities of the individual.

Speaking hypothetically, since the absolute truth could differ significantly from what is being discussed during these summer days, the Frederic Vasseur, who stiffened at Adrian Newey’s demands deemed unacceptable, perhaps should take a good review of the history of the Prancing Horse. When, in the mid-1990s, Ferrari was navigating through stormy waters, which is an understatement to say the least, Gianni Agnelli, through Luca di Montezemolo, handed the keys of the team to a driver named Michael Schumacher and, without hesitation, fulfilled all his requests, such as the hiring of Ross Brawn, the hiring of Rory Byrne, the hiring of Nigel Stepney. A veto on the second driver from the moment Michael Schumacher set foot in Maranello. He tied his continued presence at Ferrari to that of Jean Todt, protecting him during the period when everyone wanted the French team principal’s head in mid-1996. The German driver even demanded modifications to the layout of the Fiorano circuit.

This list is a rough summary of what the German champion desired when he arrived in Maranello. At that time, Ferrari bowed to the will of their “genius” behind the wheel; today, with arrogant presumption, they send back the demands of the “genius” of design, based on nothing but thin air. When Ferrari hired the star driver, they hadn’t won in 17 years, exactly as it is now. This naturally leads to a simple question: on what certainties is Ferrari’s future in Formula 1 being built? There is another question tied to this reflection.

Is there really anyone so foolish as to believe that Lewis Hamilton could win a Formula 1 title with a car performing like the SF-24? Perhaps only President John Elkann believes so, but despite the lack of world titles, Frederic Vasseur absolutely must have a “Plan B.” Otherwise, denying Adrian Newey the visibility he probably already enjoyed at Red Bull is an act of presumption that could condemn Ferrari to further years of sporting humiliation. Of course, McLaren and Mercedes are proving that it is possible to emerge from the quicksand of mediocrity.

It can be done without needing a design wizard, and in the past, other teams, including Ferrari, have dominated despite Adrian Newey operating in Formula 1. However, it is important to emphasize that what we are saying is based on rumors circulating in recent days; only the directly involved parties can provide certainty about the alleged backtrack in the Ferrari – Adrian Newey operation. It is possible that the English engineer chose the comfort zone at home and a hefty salary, even though Aston Martin cannot remotely compare to the historic Ferrari team in terms of prestige.

However, there is a sense lingering in the environment these days that Ferrari, at least as far as one can understand, has no “Plan B” and that the Adrian Newey train should have been caught at any cost. Perhaps the arrogance of those who overestimated their abilities has prevailed. The greatest of Ferrari’s team principals, also French, took two steps back without hesitation when the driving genius arrived. We are, of course, talking about the Frenchman Jean Todt. This time, however, it seems that presumption has prevailed with Fred Vasseur.