Adrian Newey to Ferrari? Is it possible?

[Sandpit Steve]

TikTak said:

Don't mind the moves but about where it stops being interesting.

How about Newey decides he doesn't want to up sticks to Italy and takes a payday and goes to AM. With their increased aero the AM is competitive for race wins as the Red Bull is a bit draggy despite a decent new PU.

The Hamilton and Verstappen factors get the best out of a well rounded Ferrari and Merc packages and the McLarens carry on their upward trajectory.

We end up with 3-5 teams all fighting for race wins! No one guaranteed a podium.

... and then I wake up

We can dream!

The annoying thing is that we nearly got there, were it not for that irrritatingly overperforming Red Bull.

[Leithen]

Forester1965 said:

Crudeoink said:

Has there been any official announcement from RB regarding Newey's exit ? I've not seen anything yet, but intrigued to see how they spin this one

No. I'd imagine there are negotiations ongoing trying to get him to stay and/or what happens if he goes. Wouldn't be the first time he's changed his mind if they do.

Let's see if he's in Miami, sitting awkwardly on the pit wall ignoring Horner.

[SpudLink]

Leithen said:

Let's see if he's in Miami, sitting awkwardly on the pit wall ignoring Horner.

It's possible to remain professional while seeking to leave your current 'employer'. Despite the best efforts of Liberty and Netflix, not everything has to be a melodrama.

[Leithen]

SpudLink said:

Leithen said:

Let's see if he's in Miami, sitting awkwardly on the pit wall ignoring Horner.

It's possible to remain professional while seeking to leave your current 'employer'. Despite the best efforts of Liberty and Netflix, not everything has to be a melodrama.

It was a humorous comment.

In normal circumstances, yes there would be every reason to be professional. But if reports are to be believed there is a personal element to all this.

Who knows. If he’s not there though, odds are he’s gone.

[vaud]

Leithen said:

Who knows. If he’s not there though, odds are he’s gone.

Does he attend every race?

[Muzzer79]

vaud said:

Leithen said:

Who knows. If he’s not there though, odds are he’s gone.

Does he attend every race?

No he doesn't.

I predict Horner will want to make a very deliberate point of walking the entire length of the paddock, hand-in-hand with Newey

[Teatowell]

TikTak said:

Don't mind the moves but about where it stops being interesting.

How about Newey decides he doesn't want to up sticks to Italy and takes a payday and goes to AM. With their increased aero the AM is competitive for race wins as the Red Bull is a bit draggy despite a decent new PU.

The Hamilton and Verstappen factors get the best out of a well rounded Ferrari and Merc packages and the McLarens carry on their upward trajectory.

We end up with 3-5 teams all fighting for race wins! No one guaranteed a podium.

... and then I wake up

Peter Windsor quoted as saying he’s turned down Aston. I can see him working with Ferrari but coming to an agreement around not needing to be there.

[Puddenchucker]

Teatowell said:

.... I can see him working with Ferrari but coming to an agreement around not needing to be there.

There is precedence for that – John Barnard had his office in the UK whilst working for Ferrari in the late 1980s.

[vaud]

Puddenchucker said:

There is precedence for that – John Barnard had his office in the UK whilst working for Ferrari in the late 1980s.

"While at Ferrari, Barnard ruffled a few feathers with his way of doing things. Despite being the team's Technical Director, he alienated himself from the team when he decided to set up his office in England and not at the factory in Maranello as had been the tradition even with non-Italian members of the team (like the team's chief engineer at the time, fellow Briton Harvey Postlethwaite). Barnard reasoned that it would allow more work to be done on designing the 1989 car without the distractions of the factory and the Italian press who had been known to be scathing on any Ferrari failures. He also put a ban on the team's long-standing tradition of having wine at the mechanics' lunch table during testing, something that proved unpopular with the team's mostly Italian mechanics."

[aeropilot]

Puddenchucker said:

Teatowell said:

.... I can see him working with Ferrari but coming to an agreement around not needing to be there.

There is precedence for that – John Barnard had his office in the UK whilst working for Ferrari in the late 1980s.

And that was without the modern technology of Teams and VPN and all sorts of stuff that means working remotely can now be achieved a lot more easily.

I still think, he'll either see this as the perfect time to walk away from F1 (he is 65) and pursue his sailing ambitions.....before too late to do so....

or he'll head up Ferrari's America's Cup design, as not in conflict with F1 <cough> via not being based in Italy, and if that works over the next few years OK, then maybe he might move over to the F1 team in 2027, if he still has a hunger for F1, having proved that he can do what's reqd remotely via the boat design.

I don't see him staying at RB, or go to another F1 team other than Ferrari at a later date, if he does the Americas Cup thing with them.

[Mark-C]

Puddenchucker said:

Teatowell said:

.... I can see him working with Ferrari but coming to an agreement around not needing to be there.

There is precedence for that – John Barnard had his office in the UK whilst working for Ferrari in the late 1980s.

This has been mentioned a few times but it wasn't a huge success ... although it was a slight improvement on what came before for Ferrari.

Real success came when Jean Todt pulled everything back in house and appointed Rory Byrne who was happy to work in Italy.

[Byker28i]

Muzzer79 said:

vaud said:

Leithen said:

Who knows. If he’s not there though, odds are he’s gone.

Does he attend every race?

No he doesn't.

I predict Horner will want to make a very deliberate point of walking the entire length of the paddock, hand-in-hand with Newey

[cuprabob]

Muzzer79 said:

No he doesn't.

I predict Horner will want to make a very deliberate point of walking the entire length of the paddock, hand-in-hand with Newey

If he does, I hope Adrian is wearing gloves incase Christian has sticky fingers.

[PlywoodPascal]

Would be foolish not to offer him the option of a consultancy role if he didn’t want a full job.

[Jasandjules]

PlywoodPascal said:

Would be foolish not to offer him the option of a consultancy role if he didn’t want a full job.

Such things only work IF someone wants to continue to work for you. If someone wants a new challenge and a swan song even, well.....

Can you imagine finishing your career by securing Hamilton his 9th WDC but in a Ferrari, a team that was no-where near winning the WDC before you arrived?!?!?

[Gary C]

Would he be able to put up with the crap that will inevitably surface at Ferrari I wonder ?

I hope he goes for it, it would truly be a glorious thing to beat Schumacher's record at Ferrari

[CocoUK]

Byker28i said:

Muzzer79 said:

vaud said:

Leithen said:

Who knows. If he’s not there though, odds are he’s gone.

Does he attend every race?

No he doesn't.

I predict Horner will want to make a very deliberate point of walking the entire length of the paddock, hand-in-hand with Newey

Bravo!

[suffolk009]

Gary C said:

Would he be able to put up with the crap that will inevitably surface at Ferrari I wonder ?

I hope he goes for it, it would truly be a glorious thing to beat Schumacher's record at Ferrari

This legendary crap that Ferrari still apparently have in their office culture - is it likely to be any worse than working for Horner?

[TheDeuce]

suffolk009 said:

Gary C said:

Would he be able to put up with the crap that will inevitably surface at Ferrari I wonder ?

I hope he goes for it, it would truly be a glorious thing to beat Schumacher's record at Ferrari

This legendary crap that Ferrari still apparently have in their office culture - is it likely to be any worse than working for Horner?

Ferrari: more likely to have to deal with angry Italians waving their arms in the air. Less likely to discover the boss has pinched your PA and ruined her in the private planes bog.

Swings and roundabouts really.

[Jasandjules]

suffolk009 said:

This legendary crap that Ferrari still apparently have in their office culture - is it likely to be any worse than working for Horner?

I imagine that he would be able to pretty much dictate some terms. He would also have Fred in place, who I think might well act as a block to any such c**p.