Adrian Newey’s future is a very interesting sideshow to what’s already a fascinating driver’s market ahead of the 2025 Formula 1 season.
Half the seats on the grid are still yet to be filled with Nico Hulkenberg the latest driver to confirm his place in the paddock for next year when he switches Haas for Sauber.
An interview in the Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport has shared the thoughts of former F1 driver Ricciardo Patrese.
Patrese considers Adrian Newey a close friend after they worked together at Williams.
He has an insight into the 65-year-old’s character and understands – like many on the grid do – how important he is to any team’s success in Formula 1.
Red Bull will be desperate for him not to leave given how influential he’s been in the success of Max Verstappen and previously Sebastian Vettel.
However, Patrese has said that he would love to see Newey end up at Ferrari should he officially confirm his departure from the team.
He’s never spent time with the Italian team but has admitted in the past that he’s come close to making that move on several occasions.
An offer to Newey is currently being plotted by Ferrari, but whether he accepts is another matter…
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Riccardo Patrese wants to see Adrian Newey join Ferrari
There’s lots of change in Formula 1 right now both on and off the track.
Not only are plenty of drivers heading into the final years of their contracts, but key members of backroom staff are switching teams at a rapid rate.
McLaren, for example, waited a long time for David Sanchez to join the team from Ferrari at the start of the year.
However, just a few months later he’s already moved on and that’s the nature of key personnel behind the scenes in F1.
Arguably the most well-known member of staff not on the grid in F1 is Adrian Newey given he’s won more than a dozen Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships.
Newey has previously worked for McLaren and Williams before Red Bull but Patrese thinks he’s the key to helping Ferrari return to winning ways.
Not only that, it would finally give Newey the chance to work with Lewis Hamilton after nearly two decades of competing against each other.
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Adrian Newey will have plenty of opportunities if he leaves Red Bull
Asked about a potential move to Ferrari for Newey, Patrese said: “Definitely yes, it’s worth it, because he is the champion of engineers
“If Adrian comes we win. We just need to understand if he really comes, because I know him well, we are friends, in my years at Williams we have built an excellent relationship, and I know that he is very happy at home, he loves being in England.
“So I don’t know: that he left Red Bull and that he could join Ferrari, I’m reading about it in the newspapers. I would be very happy about it, so I would go and see him more often.
“And also because he is aerodynamics: where he puts his hands he wins.”
While Ferrari are contemplating a move for Newey that would delight Patrese, they’re likely to face plenty of competition for his signature.
Aston Martin are set to offer Newey a huge contract as they aim to compete at the very front of the grid when the regulations change in 2026.
Mercedes also have an interest in signing Newey, while there might still be a scenario where he remains at Red Bull.
In a season full of storylines on and off the track, Newey’s future is another interesting side note.
The post ‘If Adrian comes we win’: Riccardo Patrese says he would be ‘very happy’ if Newey joined one F1 team in 2025 appeared first on F1 Oversteer.