Adrian Newey: the big talk of the week in Miami

MIAMI | If there is a favorite topic this week in the paddocks and along the garages of the Miami Grand Prix, it is the departure of the great genius Adrian Newey from the dominant championship team Red Bull. Where will Formula 1’s greatest engineer and aerodynamicist end up?

On Aston Martin? No. Despite the jackpot revealed in the media and denied by the team.

Mercedes? May be. But that would be surprising.

At Williams? There were “light” discussions.

At Ferrari? Ah, here we start talking!

Because the indicators point in the direction of the Scuderia. The smile and silence of the new driver in 2025, Lewis Hamilton, too.

All week, the Briton and the seven-time world champion was bombarded with questions about the topic. He didn’t reveal any details, but his nonverbal language spoke volumes. He added that he would “love to work with him and that it would be a real privilege” and said that Newey “would be an extraordinary addition to Ferrari.”

An incredible magician

When designing and drawing racing cars, Newey is a true magician. The 65-year-old Briton has roamed the garages of the great F1 circus for almost 40 years. His CV is decorated with 12 manufacturers’ championships with three different teams and 13 drivers’ championships.

He was the one who designed Jacques Villeneuve’s car at Williams in their 1997 World Championship conquest.

Since the storm arose at Red Bull last winter with allegations of misconduct against director Christian Horner, Newey, who has a consulting position there, no longer saw himself on board with the team disturbed by distractions and internal wars. On Wednesday, it became known that the engineer will leave at the beginning of 2025.

Leader Max Verstappen put the successes of recent seasons at Red Bull into perspective with the arrival of several important minds and a very strong technical team led by Frenchman Pierre Waché.

The great Helmut Marko, special consultant at Red Bull, does not minimize the departure of the creative genius. He thinks he is weakening the team. But the Austrian is not worried about the future of the team based in the London suburbs despite all the negative information circulating in the F1 world.

Logical choice

Ferrari thinks big. The addition of Newey could bring the Italian team back to the top with the new generation of single-seaters planned for 2026. Furthermore, the engineer has always wanted to work there even though he previously refused to join.

European media specializing in motor racing believe that the agreement has already been signed with the Scuderia. He just wanted the red shirt left to wear.

But Newey still wears the colors of the Red Bull bulls. On Friday, in a public outing in the paddocks in Miami, he told Sky Sports he wants to take a little break after gradually withdrawing from the team he has spent the last 18 years with.

He did not specify the length of the break and his long-term goals.

There is no doubt, despite all the stars that will parade in the Grand Prix paddocks, none will attract the same attention as Newey, the darling of the week in Miami.