Adrian Newey to Ferrari? Is it possible?

[Wills2]

I liked Eddie's story about going round with a cheque for £500k and Newey joining McLaren instead, Newey probably realised that the cheque would have been cancelled as soon as he signed the contract.

[Muzzer79]

stevilo said:

He's moving to a rival. Why else would there be a negotiation, or any talk of gardening leave? If he wasn't, he'd just quit.

I've been thinking this too.

Jordan has been playing up the retirement angle but I think it's a ploy to highlight the fact that Newey has other options, which he's happy to pursue.

I do think that retirement is a possibility if he doesn't get what he wants from whoever he's talking to, but they will know that Ferrari will pay whatever it takes so manipulating the narrative in order to add a zero or two to the contract won't do them any harm.

[braddo]

Deesee said:

Exor executive board: Fred if you get the job what changes can you make in the first 24 months.

Fred: I deliver 2 goats to the factory.

Lapo’s mind : ***%%%!!!!xxx

Lapo: shouts emphatically your hired, goats in factory!

Fred: Gallic shrug, puts down cigarette, creates what’s app group, tosses coin over Carlos and Charl, adds Antony H and EJ, I have plan..

Lapo: starts to build a pen..

[Forester1965]

ajprice said:

It's all speculation but I've seen that Newey isn't interested in AM a few times. Then again the AM team history starts with Jordan. Is EJ completely split from the team or is he still involved in any way?

Newey knows Honda too.

The Newey not interested in AM story will be Jordan briefing the press.

[ralphrj]

ajprice said:

Wombat3 said:

Smollet said:

I reckon he'll go to AM

Probably, but best of all would be if he went back to Williams

It's all speculation but I've seen that Newey isn't interested in AM a few times. Then again the AM team history starts with Jordan. Is EJ completely split from the team or is he still involved in any way?

Newey knows Honda too.

No connection between EJ and AM. The team has been sold 3 more times since EJ sold up in 2005.

Newey is known to dislike Lawrence Stroll so I would think it unlikely.

[Sandpit Steve]

Muzzer79 said:

stevilo said:

He's moving to a rival. Why else would there be a negotiation, or any talk of gardening leave? If he wasn't, he'd just quit.

I've been thinking this too.

Jordan has been playing up the retirement angle but I think it's a ploy to highlight the fact that Newey has other options, which he's happy to pursue.

I do think that retirement is a possibility if he doesn't get what he wants from whoever he's talking to, but they will know that Ferrari will pay whatever it takes so manipulating the narrative in order to add a zero or two to the contract won't do them any harm.

Well if he does retire, there’s precisely nothing in it for Eddie Jordan, so as usual what’s coming out of his mouth in public bears little resemblance to what he’s actually up to in private.

Jordan’s there to collect a big cheque, so he’ll be looking at Ferrari, Mercedes, AM, probably in that order. As said before, I think there’s actually a deal in principle agreed with Ferrari, and that Lewis and Adrian were aware of Vasseur speaking to them both over the winter.

[suffolk009]

Whilst checking that my skybox is recording the TPs press conference this afternoon, I noticed that Sky F1 have a half hour special on Adrian Newey at 9.00pm (UK time) tonight.

We can expect some top acurate reporting and investigative journalism from the team.

[Muzzer79]

Sandpit Steve said:

As said before, I think there’s actually a deal in principle agreed with Ferrari, and that Lewis and Adrian were aware of Vasseur speaking to them both over the winter.

I struggle with the notion that Ferrari knew about all this pre-February.

I am not a Hamilton-hater but, being objective, if you (Ferrari) knew that Newey was available and there would therefore be a de-stabilisation within Red Bull that could result in Verstappen being available then surely you'd hold off on the driver front and pick up MV now?

That's looking at it from a longevity perspective, aswell as a talent perspective. For all his success, Lewis is in the Autumn of his career at best.

[vaud]

ralphrj said:

No connection between EJ and AM. The team has been sold 3 more times since EJ sold up in 2005.

Newey is known to dislike Lawrence Stroll so I would think it unlikely.

I heard a rumour that he doesn't like Stroll and doesn't want to be "used" to increase the valuation of AM.

[leef44]

Muzzer79 said:

stevilo said:

He's moving to a rival. Why else would there be a negotiation, or any talk of gardening leave? If he wasn't, he'd just quit.

I've been thinking this too.

Jordan has been playing up the retirement angle but I think it's a ploy to highlight the fact that Newey has other options, which he's happy to pursue.

I do think that retirement is a possibility if he doesn't get what he wants from whoever he's talking to, but they will know that Ferrari will pay whatever it takes so manipulating the narrative in order to add a zero or two to the contract won't do them any harm.

If you are EJ preparing for negotiations with Ferrari, do you say "Adrian is really keen to join your team" or do you say "well, he's thinking of retiring unless you make him an offer that he cannot refuse"?

[belleair302]

If Adrian Newey joins Aston Martin it will be down to Matin Whitmarsh not Stroll, who isn’t present all of the time and has little knowledge of how the technical team work. Remember Whitmarsh was at McLaren when Newey joined and helped smooth water due to Ron Dennis and his OCD issues.

[ThingsBehindTheSun]

leef44 said:

If you are EJ preparing for negotiations with Ferrari, do you say "Adrian is really keen to join your team" or do you say "well, he's thinking of retiring unless you make him an offer that he cannot refuse"?

I think you use the Raikkonen "It's more like a hobby to me, So obviously I don't need to do it if I don't want to"

I don't think he needs to bother saying anything to be honest, his results at Red Bull say everything.

[Kart16]

Leithen said:

Montezemelo was Agnelli's man. He resurrected Ferrari in the 90's as Ferrari President, having previously sorted out the F1 team in the '70s. After Agnelli's death he and Marchionne unsurprisingly found it difficult to co-exist, especially as Elkann worked to establish his own control over Agnelli's empire.

Happily it appears that Elkann is more sure footed now and is concentrating on putting the right people in the right places.

Indeed. John Elkann was not only Gianni Agnelli favorite grandchild, but also the favorite Agnelli descendent as a whole. He surpassed all his uncles on taking the reigns over the Agnelli's empire.

However, the Agnelli family, particularly John Elkann, is under fire from the Italian government and congress. Elkann first moved the legal residence of his companies to the Netherlands and later merger them with the French. Most Stellantis factories in Italy are either totally on a halt or producing very few cars. Apart from Ferrari that is doing good and a few others, Italy has practically no national automotive industry anymore.

[matrignano]

Kart16 said:

Indeed. John Elkann was not only Gianni Agnelli favorite grandchild, but also the favorite Agnelli descendent as a whole. He surpassed all his uncles on taking the reigns over the Agnelli's empire.

However, the Agnelli family, particularly John Elkann, is under fire from the Italian government and congress. Elkann first moved the legal residence of his companies to the Netherlands and later merger them with the French. Most Stellantis factories in Italy are either totally on a halt or producing very few cars. Apart from Ferrari that is doing good and a few others, Italy has practically no national automotive industry anymore.

I watched an interesting documentary in Italy last weekend.

In addition to the above, Stellantis are trying to convince OEM suppliers to relocate some/all of their production facilities to places like Turkey or Morocco (where Stellantis i.e. Peugeot have a car plant, conveniently) to reduce supplier costs. You can replace "convince" with "threaten" at leisure.

The summary was that Elkann is great at investments and growing the family's war chest, but in doing so killed the Italian auto industry, which is fair.

The documentary however kind of glossed over how the Italian government failed to protect / invest / intervene, for example by taking strategic stakes in FIAT/FCA, toning the union downs, tax breaks to attract local and foreign investment etc, like some other countries have done.

I wonder if any Italian government officials personally benefitted from all of this...

[Gary C]

TheDeuce said:

But crucially, he has the best part of a year off F1. And likely off work in general save the odd meeting or PR call as the RB17 rolls to completion.

Do you mean the best part of 2024 off ? I can see that.

I imagine lots of travel and pasta, maybe visit a few factories and by chance doodle some car shaped things at a friends house.

Pleasant days talking about his hobbies, of vortices and laminar flows and does the colour red affect them ?

[PlywoodPascal]

vaud said:

ralphrj said:

No connection between EJ and AM. The team has been sold 3 more times since EJ sold up in 2005.

Newey is known to dislike Lawrence Stroll so I would think it unlikely.

I heard a rumour that he doesn't like Stroll and doesn't want to be "used" to increase the valuation of AM.

how entirely plausible

[suffolk009]

PlywoodPascal said:

vaud said:

ralphrj said:

No connection between EJ and AM. The team has been sold 3 more times since EJ sold up in 2005.

Newey is known to dislike Lawrence Stroll so I would think it unlikely.

I heard a rumour that he doesn't like Stroll and doesn't want to be "used" to increase the valuation of AM.

how entirely plausible

I've read exactly that in a couple of different places.

[WestyCarl]

suffolk009 said:

PlywoodPascal said:

vaud said:

ralphrj said:

No connection between EJ and AM. The team has been sold 3 more times since EJ sold up in 2005.

Newey is known to dislike Lawrence Stroll so I would think it unlikely.

I heard a rumour that he doesn't like Stroll and doesn't want to be "used" to increase the valuation of AM.

how entirely plausible

I've read exactly that in a couple of different places.

I think the only options are Ferrari or leaving F1.

I'm not a particiular fan of Ferrari but it would make a great seaon in 2026

- a Newey Ferrari with Lewis
- a RB with a homemade engine (and Max)
- a strong Mercedes (hopefully and based on last changes) engine

[suffolk009]

WestyCarl said:

I think the only options are Ferrari or leaving F1.

I'm not a particiular fan of Ferrari but it would make a great seaon in 2026

- a Newey Ferrari with Lewis
- a RB with a homemade engine (and Max)
- a strong Mercedes (hopefully and based on last changes) engine

I think it's unlikely Max will be at RBR in 2026.

[TheDeuce]

suffolk009 said:

WestyCarl said:

I think the only options are Ferrari or leaving F1.

I'm not a particiular fan of Ferrari but it would make a great seaon in 2026

- a Newey Ferrari with Lewis
- a RB with a homemade engine (and Max)
- a strong Mercedes (hopefully and based on last changes) engine

I think it's unlikely Max will be at RBR in 2026.

I think that's unlikely too, almost unthinkable in fact.

Mercedes or Ferrari are more likely that RBR to get the new PU right first time.

I'm also not really a Ferrari fan, but credit where it's due, they're the only ones to get close to RBR this season, they have a good PU, their strategy seems mildly less turd than last season too. I've never liked RBR, especially Horner, so I find myself very happy about the fact Lewis and (probably..) Newey are headed there for 2025.

It's easily a more exciting and interesting prospect than any of us expected - it looked like the only story until 2026 at the earliest was all RBR dominance