Ferrari may have succeeded in securing Lewis Hamilton’s services after several failed attempts in the past. However, their dream of poaching Adrian Newey may require a lot more convincing. There had been reports that the Italian team had offered Newey a deal to join them amid the internal turmoil at Red Bull. While there was no official word, rumors suggested that the British designer wanted to stay at the Milton Keynes outfit, come what may. This resulted in Ferrari possibly taking a gamble in convincing the 65-year-old via an indirect route.
According to a report from Funoanalisitecnica.com, Loic Serra, who will be leaving Mercedes to join the Prancing Horse in 2025, is a key individual in trying to negotiate with Newey. Apparently, Serra is a close associate of Pierre Wache, who is the current technical director at Red Bull under Newey’s watch.
The report suggested that Serra may have tried to convince Wache to follow in his footsteps to Ferrari. However, the French engineer is happy to stay at Red Bull.
Wache has reportedly signed a multi-year contract with the Austrian team in the past week or so. Moreover, the report also claimed that team boss Christian Horner is looking to further solidify Wache’s role and position in the team, from a future perspective.
Since Red Bull seem more focused on promoting Wache, Ferrari would hope to take advantage of this situation and convince Newey to come to Maranello. Reportedly, there are negotiations going on between the 65-year-old and the Italian outfit.
However, the Briton knows the perks of working in a team where he has a familiar setting. Going into a completely new environment at Ferrari may not give him the same comfort and working flexibility, as the Italian team has its own pressure and issues.
Would Adrian Newey want to work at Ferrari?
Adrian Newey has been vocal about his bucket list in F1. It involves two notable wishes – working with Lewis Hamilton and working with Ferrari.
The task of designing a championship-winning car at Maranello may also be a welcome challenge Newey would undertake. On top of this, with Hamilton driving for the Italian outfit from 2025, the British aero genius may fulfill both of his bucket list goals in one move.
However, he will most likely face huge pressure at Ferrari since the team have not won a championship since 2008. Although Newey is more than capable of ending Ferrari’s long wait for the title, even the best talents like him can feel the heat if he struggles to deliver.
However, Frederic Vasseur’s leadership is changing this pressurizing aspect for Ferrari. The French team principal has made several changes in the team’s operations and culture after he joined at the start of 2023.
The team seems more organized in operational aspects such as pitstops and race strategies. Meanwhile, the communication culture concerning technical developments has also improved. Hence, such an environment may not put the same pressure on the technical team as it may have done previously.
Although Ferrari seem to be in a much better position when compared to previous years, convincing Newey will still most likely be a major challenge. The British aerodynamicist has spent 18 years at Red Bull and may not want to break his longstanding association with the team.
