Adrian Newey Takes Niki Lauda’s Ferrari Out on Track in Red Bull Overalls

Adrian Newey drew strong links with Ferrari even before the official announcement of his impending departure from Red Bull. Those links have reportedly come to a standstill as the aero genius is tilting more towards Britain-based teams. Despite distancing himself from the Italian outfit, Newey has continued to flirt with them.

The latest contact comes in the form of the Goodwood Festival of Speed. While at it, Newey participated and chose Niki Lauda’s legendary 1974 Ferrari 312B to take out for a spin. There’s a catch, though. The RB17 mastermind donned the Red Bull overalls before stepping into the 312B, raising many eyebrows.

The 312B is one of the crowned jewels from Ferrari’s decorated racing history. It served the team for five long years between 1970 and 1975.

It went through three iterations- the 312B, the 312B2, and the 312B3. While Newey drove the 1974 iteration of the series, Lauda won the first of his three world championships with the 1975 car. The Austrian legend won his other two titles in 1977 and 1984.

Adrian Newey drives Niki Lauda’s 1974 Ferrari #F1 car up the Goodwood hill

That’s right… Newey in a Ferrari #GoodwoodFOS #FOS pic.twitter.com/w54kqM5IMO

— Autosport (@autosport) July 13, 2024

While the 312B also won the constructors’ championship in 1975, it registered a total of 10 race wins in its five-year run. It also bagged 22 pole positions and 21 fastest laps. However, Lauda wasn’t the only notable name who drove the 312B. The other notable names were Mario Andretti, Clay Regazzoni, and Jacky Ickx.

Why the Adrian Newey to Ferrari deal fell through?

Motorsport.com recently reported a breakdown in talks between Newey and Ferrari. While team principal Fred Vasseur personally pursued the deal, even making a formal offer himself, the team could not meet Newey’s demands.

Those included his role to be restricted to the capacity of a consultant. Ferrari, meanwhile, wanted him to be more of an on-sight head. The other reason was the exorbitant salary demand which even a team like Ferrari is unwilling to meet.

The report comes in the midst of the rumors of growing proximity between the 65-year-old and the Britain-based teams like McLaren and Aston Martin. If McLaren manage to land the legendary aerodynamicist, it would be his second stint with the papaya team.

Aston Martin, meanwhile, continue to remain in the hunt right from the start. Newey not only has a big money offer from the Silverstone-based team but was also reportedly given a secret tour of the team’s state-of-the-art facility recently.