With a lucrative offer reportedly already on the table, Lawrence Stroll has made his intentions of signing Adrian Newey clear. However, the aero-genius is currently on virtually every team’s radar, including giants like Ferrari. The interest from multiple teams does not come as a surprise, given Newey’s exploits of late. But the fear of not landing him has led to the Aston Martin boss reportedly making an attempt to poach the Maranello side’s top engineer.
That man is Ferrari’s technical director Enrico Cardile. The Italian engineer, as per Formu1a.uno, will run out of his current contract at the end of 2024.
While he remains in team boss Fred Vasseur’s good books, a contract extension is not a given. Even if he lands another deal with Ferrari, there is a chance that his role might get undermined if Newey joins the side.
| Ferrari’s technical director Enrico Cardile has been linked with a possible move to Aston Martin.
Cardile has played an important role in the development of the team’s recent challengers since joining the F1 operation from its Gran Turismo programme in 2016.#F1 #Formula1 pic.twitter.com/SuSPSFwXcb
— Desi Racing Co. (@DesiRacingco) June 1, 2024
Ferrari is reportedly in advanced talks with the exit-bound Red Bull CTO. Vasseur has admitted to being in touch with him but warned the media not to read too much into it. Williams’ boss James Vowles is not as subtle in his approach and has categorically admitted to being in the hunt to land Newey.
Mercedes, who looked to be mere spectators in the saga, have jumped into the race for the Briton’s signature too. The Silver Arrows have reportedly offered Newey shares of the team as well.
The offer comes as a surprise, given the closed nature of the team’s ownership. Apart from the German automaker, Toto Wolff and Ineos CEO James Ratcliffe are the only part owners.
Lawrence Stroll’s not-so-subtle attempt at robbing Red Bull’s talent
In 2021, Lawrence Stroll disclosed his target of taking Aston Martin to the championship win within five years. In pursuit of that ambition, the Canadian businessman made some high-profile signings, many of which came from Red Bull.
Given the way the Milton Keynes outfit has dominated the series since the advent of the ground effect regulations, his choices did not come as a surprise. Among those he poached are Red Bull’s former aerodynamics head Dan Fallows and designer Andrew Alessi.
Fallows is Aston Martin’s current technical director while Alessi took over the role of the team’s head of technical operations. Getting Newey is not just a part of that bigger plan but also the most ambitious of them all. Team principal Mike Krack, however, denied the rumors that Aston Martin had made him an offer.
The 65-year-old will leave Red Bull at the end of the first quarter of 2025. He has already ceased to operate on the team’s F1 project. He will, however, continue to work on their hypercar project, the RB17.
