An impossible love. This seems to be the best way to summarize the relationship between Adrian Newey and Ferrari over the years. The two sides have often been close, sought after, but never really united: a perfect combination that never became reality, despite the dreams of Ferrari fans about hiring the British engineer and the attempts by the Scuderia’s leadership to secure the most successful technician in F1 history, with 25 titles. A union that, more than ever this year, after Adrian Newey’s departure from Red Bull, seemed ready to happen, given that the realistic future scenarios for Adrian appeared to be two: Aston Martin, which aimed for him to start a winning cycle (with huge financial figures), and Ferrari, long pressing and ready to use its stature to bring him to Maranello.
But it was the Ferrari option, which for several weeks seemed the most concrete and almost finalized, that faded away, especially after Lawrence Stroll decided to oppose it, raising his offer, organizing a private visit for Adrian Newey to the Aston factory, and dramatically increasing the financial proposal. A series of moves that led Newey to make a decision about his future and officially, after months of speculation, to join Aston Martin where he will be a technical supervisor and shareholder starting in the 2025 season. A choice driven more by the English team’s willingness to meet all his demands in terms of authority, rather than purely financial reasons, which caused Ferrari to withdraw from the race.
Italian journalist Leo Turrini discussed this surprising development in his blog “Profondo Rosso,” suggesting that it was Aston Martin’s granting of significant powers to Adrian that led him to make this decision: powers that Ferrari, while aware of losing the chance to hire a top-level technician, legitimately and understandably did not concede.
“Adrian Newey […] teams up with Aston Martin, becoming a shareholder. […] I don’t believe money was the decisive factor. […] If the Wizard had wanted to experience the Ferrari thrill, finances would not have been an insurmountable obstacle. Should Ferrari have taken Adrian? Absolutely yes. On any terms? Absolutely not. […] Ferrari made Adrian Newey an excellent offer. After all, we’re talking about a Scuderia that hasn’t won anything since 2008, so it’s ridiculous to say that it’s not serious to have missed the opportunity to hire the Genius. […] Especially considering Ferrari’s limitations in design, development, and correlation. […] It’s foolish to claim that Ferrari should have handed Newey the keys to Maranello.” – the Italian journalist explained.
Reasons outlined above led Adrian Newey to reject Ferrari, just as he did around ten years ago with Sergio Marchionne or even earlier with Luca di Montezemolo. Perhaps the Englishman also didn’t want to relocate from England, had little interest in Italy, and maybe even had lingering memories related to the trial over Ayrton Senna’s death, one of the darkest chapters in his career. For Ferrari, Adrian Newey’s refusal might be more concerning than it appears, as it may indicate the Genius has more confidence and trust in Aston Martin’s potential to open a new winning cycle from 2026, compared to Ferrari.
“The truth is that Adrian Newey said no to John Elkann just as he said no to Sergio Marchionne and Luca di Montezemolo. […] Maybe the man loves Italy for food and culture, but not for GP cars. Perhaps the memory of the trial over Senna’s death weighs on him. […] Finally (this is the real worrying factor), it’s clear that Adrian Newey considers it more likely to win from 2026 with Stroll’s money, Honda’s engine, and Aramco’s fuel than with Ferrari’s prospects (Elkann, Vasseur, Shell). This should concern those who love the Prancing Horse. That said, even Adrian has experienced prolonged periods of defeat in his career.” – Leo Turrini concluded.
