Ivan Capelli discussed the potential arrival of Adrian Newey at Ferrari, analyzing the benefits the British engineer would bring to Maranello.
A simple rumor that emerged yesterday was enough to reignite excitement among Ferrari fans, who now dream of another mega coup after John Elkann’s signing of Lewis Hamilton in February. We’re obviously talking about the scenario where Adrian Newey packs his bags and bids farewell to Red Bull after nearly 20 years of extraordinary success, to catch a direct flight to Italy, heading to Maranello.
Ivan Capelli also weighed in on the matter, the former driver who worked with the Colchester engineer in the late ’90s during the time of March/Leyton House, even achieving a fantastic second place in the Portuguese GP.
Interviewed by the Italian daily newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, the Milanese expressed surprise at the sensational market rumor: “At 65, leaving is a significant challenge where everything is put on the line. And anyway, I tend to say that logically he won’t leave alone. An engineer of that caliber brings his faithful with him, since in a new structure, he must be immediately operational and active, if it happens.”
Regarding the hypothesis of Newey joining Ferrari, Ivan Capelli believes that his potential arrival in Maranello would be a great coup: “He’s the man who embodies 40 years of experience, who even in the last regulation change knew how to immediately interpret the rules, finding solutions to what for others have become Achilles’ heels, like the purpoising. He experienced these situations 35 years ago with ground effect cars.”
“It’s a wealth of experience, wisdom, and, beyond his personal quirkiness, organizational work that borders on perfection. What sets Adrian apart from everyone else is his ability to evaluate his work in a very objective way.
“Last year he won 22 out of 23 races and said, very well, this car has no more development and we start again. From a conceptual point of view, he created a completely new car: draw a line, blank sheet, and start over.”
A difficult partnership
Although a move to Ferrari would represent the culmination of a legendary career, Capelli still sees it as very unlikely that the deal will go through: “From what I know of his thinking, it’s unlikely that he will come to Italy, unless there’s an economic proposal that would make anyone pale in comparison.
“Out of habit, for the conceptualization of work and mental organization, and for how he is used to, I still see him very rooted in England. As I said, for me, he would arrive with his lieutenants. And there would be another revolution that might not yield immediate results.”
At least for now, Red Bull has denied an imminent departure of the engineer, who according to rumors seems inclined to resign at the end of the season. The issue of gardening leave would also be very complicated, forcing him to observe a forced break of at least 12 months.
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