Fred Vasseur has reportedly initiated discussions with Adrian Newey from Red Bull Racing. Despite spending just over a year at Maranello, Ferrari’s team principal has already left a significant mark.
With Lewis Hamilton, a seven-time champion, slated to join the team next season, Vasseur might be on the verge of clinching another major deal in the upcoming weeks and months. This time, however, the focus isn’t on a driver but on securing the services of Formula 1’s most coveted engineer, Adrian Newey.
Recent months have been tumultuous at Red Bull Racing, with an investigation into allegations surrounding Christian Horner’s conduct triggering internal strife at Milton Keynes.
This has revealed deep-seated divisions within the team, with tensions rising between the Verstappen camp and Horner, backed by the majority owner of the drinks company.
Despite appearing to settle momentarily, with Helmut Marko retaining his position after being on the brink of suspension, underlying issues persist.
While on-track performance remains strong, with the RB20 asserting itself as the benchmark in Formula 1, behind-the-scenes problems persist at Red Bull Racing. One of the latest concerns revolves around Adrian Newey, who is reportedly considering leaving the team.
Newey’s reputation precedes him, having played a pivotal role in engineering numerous title-winning cars in Formula 1, particularly through his understanding of ground-effect aerodynamics, which has been key to Red Bull’s success. Conflicting reports surround the reasons for Newey’s potential departure.
Some speculate that Red Bull’s internal investigation into Horner’s conduct may be a factor, while others suggest that Newey has grown disillusioned with his role within the team, citing a previous interview where Horner highlighted the contributions of technical director Pierre Wache.
Regardless, it appears that the 65-year-old engineer’s tenure at Red Bull Racing is drawing to a close. Unsurprisingly, there is considerable interest from top teams, including Ferrari, Mercedes, and Aston Martin, in securing Newey’s expertise.
Aston Martin has reportedly already made a multi-year offer, while Mercedes, keen on bolstering their understanding of ground-effect cars, sees Newey as a potential solution and a lure for Max Verstappen.
However, Ferrari appears to be leading the race to sign Newey. According to reports, Fred Vasseur has traveled to London to negotiate with the esteemed engineer.
Ideally, Ferrari hopes to avoid a prolonged gardening leave imposed by Red Bull, ensuring Newey’s availability for future projects, potentially making an impact as Formula 1 enters a new set of regulations in 2026.
Although there is no concrete evidence of Newey’s move to Ferrari, his previous expressions of regret about never working for the Italian team add weight to the speculation.
With Fred Vasseur and Scuderia Ferrari in a strong position, another blockbuster move to secure one of Red Bull Racing’s key assets may be on the horizon.
