Italian Laws Blamed for Ferrari Snubbing Adrian Newey

Italian Laws Blamed for Ferrari Snubbing Adrian Newey

The reports linking Adrian Newey to Ferrari have died down amid negotiations seemingly breaking down between them. According to F1 journalist Peter Windsor, two reasons have led to Ferrari once again missing out on signing the 65-year-old. One of those, as per Windsor, may have something to do with Italian legislation.

Newey‘s demands with respect to a move to Maranello were hinged on being given complete authority over the technical side of things at the team. This involved a free hand in deciding who stays and who leaves within the department.

Windsor believes that this would have raised concerns over the labor laws of Italy. “We are an Italian company subject to Italian union laws and we can’t just allow you to hire and fire at will because there will be huge union considerations. So you know, they probably just said – Okay, forget it,” explained Windsor on his YouTube channel.

The other reason why the talks between Newey and Ferrari broke down, in Windsor’s opinion, was the fact that Fred Vasseur would not have allowed someone to usurp his powers within the team.

Vasseur may have prevented Ferrari signing Newey

Since Vasseur’s arrival at Maranello, Ferrari have had a massive overhaul. And no matter how crucial Newey would have been to the team, the Frenchman would not have allowed the Briton to take over his side of the team. Windsor said,

“Fred Vasseur is not a walkover. And he has his own ideas on things. It’s interesting that he’s involved with some of the engineering on the car as well. I can imagine Adrian would have wanted total control of everything.”

There has been a palpable sense of fear about Newey’s arrival at Ferrari. Despite the deal falling apart, it is suggested that Enrico Cardile departing the team for Aston Martin may have been a direct response to Ferrari’s pursuit of the Briton.

Post Edited By: Vidit Dhawan
Adrian Newey Aston Martin ferrari

About the author

Anirban Aly Mandal

Anirban Aly Mandal is an F1 writer at The SportsRush, with over 1000 articles under his belt, Anirban's love for F1 started when he discovered a copy of F1 2014 on his computer. With over half a decade's worth of time spent religiously following the sport, he’s dived deep into the world of motorsports. However, Anirban's expertise goes beyond just writing - he has also written several academic papers focused on the domain of motorsports and the law. His passion for the sport is so immense that he aspires to work as a legal advisor in the most prestigious racing series in the world someday. When it comes to Formula 1, Anirban finds great pleasure in re-watching classic races and idolizes the likes of Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, and Sebastian Vettel. His top picks include Brazil '91, Silverstone '92, and Germany '19. Outside of the sport, Anirban is an avid sim racer, often found racing on titles like Assetto Corsa, F1 22, and Automobilista. Apart from his interests in gaming, Anirban has a keen interest in philosophy, literature and music.

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