McLaren have two reasons why a move to sign Formula 1 design guru Adrian Newey is not a no-brainer and Ferrari are on pole after he confirmed his early exit from Red Bull.
Teams up and down the paddock are on red alert to the possibility of signing Newey after he secured an early departure from Red Bull. The 65-year-old was under contract for the Milton Keynes team through the 2025 season but he will now step aside ahead of leaving next year.
Red Bull will also not force Newey to see out a period of gardening leave, which would have prevented him from joining a rival Formula 1 team before 2027. His contract featured a non-compete clause but Red Bull agreed to void the option to let Newey join an F1 rival in 2025.
McLaren are not pushing hard to sign Red Bull chief technical officer Adrian Newey
Yet McLaren are not actively pursuing a return for Newey, who left the Woking giants to join Red Bull. That is according to BBC Sport, which reports that the mood coming from McLaren is that while CEO Zak Brown will consider signing Newey, he is not going all-in for his arrival.
Brown and Newey are close friends and will race together in the Monaco Historic Grand Prix from May 10-12, 2024. But Brown is happy with the design team McLaren already have, plus the direction that team principal Andrea Stella is directing them after winning the Miami GP.
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Two key factors may also prevent Brown from pushing hard for Newey to return to McLaren after almost two decades. The design guru is very expensive and only works part-time, so he is ‘not a no-brainer’ to sign. But Ferrari are happy to push on and are on pole to sign Newey.
Ferrari are on pole position to sign Formula 1 design guru Adrian Newey
Newey left McLaren back in November 2005 after reaching an agreement to join Red Bull in February 2006. He has since reinforced his status as Formula 1’s greatest designer ever with six constructor’s championships and seven drivers’ titles so far with the Milton Keynes team.
Red Bull’s titles have also taken Newey to 13 drivers’ titles and 12 constructors’ titles in his Formula 1 career. He lifted back-to-back drivers’ titles with Mika Hakkinen whilst at McLaren in 1998 and 1998 plus the 1998 constructors’ championship but a return is not on the cards.
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Brown believes Newey is ‘definitely not done’ with Formula 1 but expects the design guru to take some time out after speaking with his friend and manager, Eddie Jordan. BBC Sport’s F1 journalist Andrew Benson also claims that Newey will leave Red Bull in mid-to-late February.
A move to Ferrari may then be on the horizon for Newey, who Corriere della Sera notes that the Scuderia have offered a super consultant role to. Ferrari would offer Newey a chance to work outside of F1 to fend off an offer from Aston Martin, worth €25m-a-year (£413k-a/w).
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