F1 Rumor: Adrian Newey Receives “Substantial” Offer From Ferrari as His Dream of Working With Lewis Hamilton Gets Closer

The RB20 is fast, no doubt, and so was the RB19. The two cars that have dominated the sport unlike ever before are the brainchild of master engineer Adrian Newey, the current CTO of Red Bull. Newey has been caught up in the crossfire of the Christian Horner controversy and his position on the team might get compromised. Although he is a master of his craft, there have been rumors that Horner is planning on sending him to the RB17 Hypercar project.

As these rumors popped up, so did the offers from the two biggest rival teams, Mercedes and Ferrari. While this controversy also could lead to the departure of Max Verstappen, there is a common belief that Newey would follow the world out of the Red Bull exit door. With Ferrari already trying to lure the mastermind with a blank cheque, a recent interview with Newey hints that the Scuderia might be the team he picks.

Adrian Newey has reportedly received a lucrative offer from Ferrari

Ferrari chairman John Elkann is on the move to build a super team to overthrow Red Bull’s dominance. The team that has not won a single championship since 2008 wants the title back and Adrian Newey is a part of the plan. In John Elkann’s vision for the 2025 Ferrari, he sees Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc driving cars made by Adrian Newey. This gives the team a chance to beat Red Bull as no one knows the RB20 as well as Newey. Piergiuseppe Donadoni, the co-founder of Formu1a Uno, responded to Scuderia Ferrari FRA’s tweet reporting discussions are in advanced stages between Newey and Ferrari. He commented, “The offer from Ferrari reached him. And substantial too. But it remains to be seen what he will choose, because he has no shortage of other offers.” (Translated via Google)

In an interview from September 2023 with Sports Illustrated, Newey opened up about his interaction with Ferrari over the years. The Red Bull CTO joined the team back in 2006 and Ferrari has constantly tried to bring him to Maranello. While Adrian Newey is currently working with the defending world champion Max Verstappen, he stated, “Working with Fernando and Lewis would have been fabulous. But it never happened. It’s just circumstance sometimes, that’s the way it is.”

With the Ferrari offer back on the table, there is a chance for Adrian Newey to work with Lewis Hamilton during the last years of his career. On the line is a substantial offer that the Prancing Horses have presented Newey. It seems like it is one too good to pass on. That being said, it makes it clear that although the 65-year-old engineer can follow Max Verstappen to Mercedes, there is still a chance he will fulfill his dream of working with Hamilton.

But while the offers have been coming in through the years, Newey spoke about a point in his Red Bull career that he considered the shift.

The reason Adrian Newey was done with Red Bull

In 2014, Ferrari approached Adrian Newey during the emergence of 1.6-liter turbo hybrid engines. At that time, Newey was content working at Red Bull Racing, but his frustration with Renault, the team’s engine supplier, prompted him to consider other options. Newey’s discontent stemmed from Renault’s inability to produce a competitive turbo hybrid engine. Despite the transition to new regulations, Renault’s performance lagged, which affected Red Bull Racing’s overall competitiveness.

Irrespective of the challenges with Renault, Newey was reluctant to leave Red Bull Racing. He has been emotionally invested in the team and enjoyed the working environment and successes they had achieved together. Newey, along with other key figures such as team principal Christian Horner and motorsport advisor Helmut Marko, attempted to address the issue by pressuring Renault to allocate more resources to improve their engine. They met with Carlos Ghosn, the CEO of Renault at the time, to advocate for increased investment in Formula 1.

That being said, Newey now has to make a decision, to either continue with the team or leave for another team. Do you think the CTO will leave Red Bull? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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