While Adrian Newey is yet to decide on his next F1 team after Red Bull confirmed his exit, Ferrari had been the top destination the Briton was linked with. However, several reports have claimed lately that the Maranello outfit was not an option for the F1 aero genius. Now, BBC has reported some reasons as to why Ferrari would not want him.
Newey’s salary demand has been a bit too steep for the Italian team to come to terms with. Although, a recent report suggests that money may not have been the only factor that led to a halt in the negotiations between the 65-year-old and Ferrari.
BBC Sport‘s Andrew Benson spoke about how Ferrari’s CEO, Benedetto Vigna “has baulked at the level of salary Newey commands”. Apart from that, he also mentioned that there was “a concern he would have too much power and could override the system inside the company”.
[Andrew Benson] Sources close to Ferrari have told BBC Sport that chief executive officer Benedetto Vigna has baulked at the level of salary Newey commands and that there is a concern he would have too much power and could override the system inside the company.
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Now, Ferrari has already undergone a major structural and cultural shift ever since Frederic Vasseur came as the team principal. While having Newey as the technical honcho is a big advantage, Vasseur and Co. may not want to once again unsettle the Italian outfit by giving the supposed ‘overriding’ power to the British designer.
Meanwhile, Newey would also not want to move to Ferrari and find himself at loggerheads with the team boss and the company’s top officials including Vigna and John Elkann.
Newey has reportedly been in talks with multiple teams for a new contract. So, Ferrari’s denial to agree to his salary might just have given the edge to teams like McLaren and Aston Martin.
Newey prefers to stay in England after his first marriage failed
Ferrari has in the past tried to hire Newey on multiple occasions. However, the Briton had learned his lesson of what happens when he leaves home. The 65-year-old mentioned in his autobiography that his first marriage failed mainly because he moved to the US to work in IndyCar. And that’s why he prefers to stay in England.
This makes McLaren and Aston Martin the ideal landing spots for Newey. What makes this claim even more plausible is the fact that Aston Martin team owner, Lawrence Stroll recently gave a private tour to Newey around his new Silverstone facility. Stroll was previously reported to have offered a huge salary to Newey as well.
⚠️ | Adrian Newey has made a secret visit to Aston Martin’s Silverstone facility recently.
Aston Martin’s staff were requested to leave the factory for the duration of the visit to try to stop news about Newey’s visit being leaked.#F1 #SpanishGP pic.twitter.com/vnnXGqclrl
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) June 20, 2024
While it seems unlikely that McLaren will be able to meet Newey’s salary demands, their CEO Zak Brown is a highly resourceful man and could find a way around the problem to get his hands on one of the greatest F1 car designers of all time.
