We are inches away from Adrian Newey’s decision that will shape the F1 grid in the future seasons. The aero-wizard of Red Bull will no longer manufacture ‘wondercars’ for them. In early 2025, Newey will set out for a new challenge in another outfit as the 65-year-old will sever his ties with his current team. With an impeccable record of 12 Constructors’ Championships under his belt, Adrian Newey is like King Midas of F1. Whichever team he touches upon, will strike gold. And Ferrari’s Fred Vasseur wants his squad to be the next destination for Newey.

Vasseur has already made one of F1’s biggest transfers possible through his sheer negotiation talents. Seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton will debut for the Scuderia next season with a historic contract of $100 million per year. If Fred could rope in Adrian Newey to design the cars that Lewis and his future teammate Charles Leclerc would drive, then Ferrari’s place at the top of the Championship Standings was guaranteed. However, recent reports claim that this possibility is out of the question now.

Being one of F1’s greatest aerodynamics engineers, Adrian Newey would enter any team with a host of demands. And as a legacy outfit that has won the most number of F1 titles to date, Ferrari will not compromise with its demands either. And this is what led to the rumors that Adrian Newey’s move to Ferrari is not happening. So, Formula 1 pundit Leo Turrini wrote on Quotidiano about how Vasseur needs to come to terms with the missed opportunity to bring Newey to his team.

Turrini stated, “In any negotiation, there are different options. It is normal. If Ferrari cannot take Newey, they are not to blame. It is not written anywhere that Adrian can be…forced to say yes.” Leo Turrini also brought up past instances where the great Ferrari founder Enzo Ferrari failed to sign the racer he had wanted due to conflicts. He said, “Enzo Ferrari, to stay in our little world, considered Stirling Moss the greatest driver at a certain point. He never managed to hire him.” Then, he also picked up a little example from the football world, saying, “Gianni Agnelli wanted Gigi Riva at Juventus at all costs. Not received. I could go on. It does not seem like a difficult thing to grasp, come on.”

All the recent rumors might make you wonder: Adrian Newey had been linked to Ferrari ever since his announcement about his exit from Red Bull. So, what happened that led to a complete turn of events so suddenly?

Possible reasons why Adrian Newey is no longer considering a move to Ferrari

With Lewis Hamilton’s addition to the team as well as its endless resources, Ferrari would have been the best bet for Adrian Newey to create a new World Championship-winning streak. However, the aero wizard is not ready to compromise when it comes to joining a new outfit. Among the reports that are floating around, the biggest claim that has come up is that Newey wants a sum that rivals Hamilton’s proposed salary at the Maranello outfit. The 65-year-old has quoted a contract of $120 million per year.

The enormous salary request has apparently not sat well with Benedetto Vigna, the director of Ferrari. On top of that, Newey wants sole decision-making power in the team. He reportedly wants to have a veto right over recruiting new engineers and giving them roles in the technical team. However, at the Scuderia, there is a structure for these decisions that Fred Vasseur cannot compromise just because he wants to sign Newey. So, these are the reasons why there is hearsay news that Ferrari will not pursue the Red Bull designer anymore.

For all the Tifosis, seeing Lewis Hamilton and Adrian Newey in their favorite team was a wild dream, perhaps. However, that scenario does not seem like it is a possibility anymore. Now, do you think Vasseur can still convince his team’s stakeholders to forget their differences and convince Newey one last time?