Adrian Newey’s future is set to be decided this week, ahead of his home race in Great Britain. Two weeks ago, Aston Martin owner Lawrence Stroll vacated their new headquarters to facilitate a private tour for the departing Red Bull CTO, throwing Ferrari’s bid in uncertain waters. Adrian Newey is British; Aston Martin is a British manufacturer. So what’s a better time than the British GP to announce the mammoth signing?

As per Formu1a.uno, the Stroll-led team has given Newey a deadline to respond to their offer, precisely by the end of this week. The technical mastermind himself has innocently (or intentionally) fueled the speculations. With his pressure-packed Red Bull stint behind him, Newey divulged what’s on his mind at a motorsport gala yesterday. “At the moment, I’m just kind of still working on the RB17 and then taking some time off,” he told Sky Sports.

“Last week… took seven days (off) and lucky timing on the weather. Went around the South Coast, with our dogs in an old Aston Martin DB6,” Newey added, doubling down on the fan theories while noting, “That was great.” Contrary to the British GP deadline, Newey emphasized on how the winter break would be his deadline. But more surprising than his comments was his wife Amanda’s hilarious mockery of the rumor mill. Under Sky Sports’ tweet, Mrs. Newey also gave a super-detailed description of their F1-themed vacation: “We vacationed at Limewood, owned by Jim Radcliffe, arriving in an Aston Martin styled in a ferrari blue/silver, wearing “papaya” shorts, for our holiday with Red Bulls to keep us alert.”

The Jim Ratcliffe part looks like a cheeky reference to a possible Mercedes move, considering his 33% stake in the team. But Team Principal Toto Wolff doesn’t seem as keen on signing Newey as Aston Martin or Ferrari are.

Toto Wolff is not waiting for a “messiah” like Adrian Newey

There is nothing new to be said about Mercedes’ 2+ year rut in the ground-effect era. However, with James Allison re-taking his Technical Director position, the Silver Arrows have undergone considerable change. With George Russell and Lewis Hamilton consistently challenging the frontrunners for podiums, the old Mercedes is nearly back. At this stage, would signing Adrian Newey be the right move? Let Team Principal Toto Wolff take you through his thought process.

“No team can discount Adrian,” Wolff told Sky Sports. “But he needs to fit into the organization and he needs to want it. So, I think, you’ve got to always look at opportunities. It’s not like, today, we are waiting for a messiah,” he concluded.

Mercedes might not even want to shell out the $100+ million that Aston Martin and Ferrari are willing to. There’s a lot to watch out for this weekend. Three drivers and four Constructors (five, if you count Red Bull’s British roots) will fight for bragging rights on their home soil. But if Adrian Newey does confirm his Aston Martin contract signing, then we know who the real winner is.