Almost two months have passed since Adrian Newey announced his Red Bull exit. Yet, there’s no announcement on whether the aerodynamic genius will join another team or retire from the sport. With him having had links with both Aston Martin and Ferrari, the Silverstone-based team has now set a deadline for Newey to give an answer to the $126 million offer made by Lawrence Stroll and Co.
Martin Whitmarsh will be leaving Aston Martin at the end of the year and retiring from the sport. As a result, the Silverstone-based team has signed Andy Cowell as his replacement.
With Enrico Cardile also reported to be joining the team, Aston Martin wants to confirm their technical lineup. Hence, as per Formu1a.uno, the team expects Newey to respond to the offer made by the team in the upcoming week.
Aston Martin si aspetta una risposta da Newey entro questa settimana, dopo aver chiuso con Cowell e Cardile! Capitolo Sainz: nelle scorse ore c’è stato un importante colloquio a Montecarlo con Briatore. Domani l’annuncio Bearman-Haas.#F1 #FORMU1A https://t.co/3A79ZoAkT0
— Piergiuseppe Donadoni (@SmilexTech) July 3, 2024
Lawrence Stroll is believed to have made Adrian Newey a whopping $31.5 million a year offer with a contract length of four years. This report emerges soon after another claimed that Newey had visited Aston Martin’s new facility recently. Hence, many believe that Aston Martin is the favorite to sign Newey if the Briton wishes to continue in the sport.
Aston Martin had a brilliant start to the 2023 season when Dan Fallows joined the team. Unfortunately, the team had issues with their in-season development and ended up losing ground to the big teams. 2024 started where they left off in 2023 and it’s been getting worse for the Silverstone outfit.
With aspirations of becoming a championship-winning team and Honda becoming their engine partner, Aston Martin will hugely benefit from Newey’s experience. The aerodynamicist knows what it takes to build a championship-winning team.
However, Ferrari is still in the running with Mercedes, and McLaren are also reportedly joining the race to sign Newey. Meanwhile, Williams also poised themselves in a position to get Newey but their aspirations seem to have faded away.
Why does the Aston Martin move make sense for Newey?
Newey regrets not working with Ferrari or Lewis Hamilton. A move to Maranello will fulfill that dream. However, Newey perhaps would have to learn Italian and get used to the Italian culture. On the other hand, Aston Martin’s factory isn’t far away from Red Bull’s. Therefore, Newey can continue his current lifestyle and can fit into Aston Martin more easily.
Moreover, Aston Martin is also building a state-of-the-art facility with a new window tunnel. This will give Newey all the tools to make the car he wants. Dan Fallows, who is Newey’s prodigy, joined Aston Martin from Red Bull earlier. Thus, a move to the Silverstone outfit will also help Newey reunite with Fallows.
Another reason that may tempt Newey to sign for Aston Martin is the financial aspect of the deal. The offer made to Newey is believed to be the highest one among all of Aston Martin’s competitors.
And that may not be all that may excite Newey. The 65-year-old has always wanted to work in the production of street cars. Having already made the Valkyrie for Aston Martin, a move to the Silverstone-based outfit may help him get more such exciting offers from the British manufacturer.
