Red Bull’s outgoing Technical Director, Adrian Newey, is torn between moving to Aston Martin or Ferrari to design a car for Lewis Hamilton next season. That’s according to an exclusive from media report with former McLaren mechanic Marc Priestley, who worked closely with Newey and Hamilton in the past.
In a recent interview, Priestley said Newey and Hamilton “know each other well” and Newey would “love to design a car and work with Lewis”. Priestley described it as two of the “greatest powers” in motorsport potentially coming together before Hamilton’s retirement from F1.
Hamilton has had a torrid time in the last 18 months with Mercedes. However, there have been positive signs as of late for the veteran. Hamilton landed the British Grand Prix, sending the Silverstone crowd wild with delight and then a few weeks later inherited the Belgian Grand Prix too after his teammate George Russell was disqualified. Apart from runaway leader, Max Verstappen, he has more wins than any F1 driver this season.
In the “Betting without Max Verstappen” outright markets, Hamilton’s price has shortened significantly in recent weeks. He’s now priced at +3200 fourth favorite to take the runners-up spot in the 2024 F1 World Championship standings with FanDuel Sportsbook. This operator is one of the market leaders for promotions aimed at first-time bettors in New York. If you’re thinking of betting on F1 in the Empire State for the rest of the season, you can claim your promo code here to get a bonus linked to your first wager.
Is Newey having to choose between working with Hamilton and Fernando Alonso?
If reports are to be believed, Newey has been offered a three-year contract worth upwards of $100 million to join Aston Martin. It’s not yet known whether Ferrari will be able to compete with this figure and Aston Martin have granted Newey major input when it comes to technical decisions surrounding the car. Newey moving to Aston Martin would also see him join forces with Fernando Alonso for the first time.
Last year, Alonso was effusive in his praise for Newey, describing himself as “lucky” to have raced in an era of F1 when Newey was working his magic. Equally, Newey also admitted last year that he holds a tinge of regret for not yet working with Ferrari, having been the key figure at Red Bull since 2006.
The other major barrier potentially stopping Newey joining Ferrari and teaming up with Hamilton – aside from them needing to meet Aston Martin’s $100 million contract offer – is location. Priestley revealed in the interview that Newey was rumored to have turned down Ferrari on multiple occasions between now and 2006. Priestley believes this was largely because he didn’t want to move to Italy. Secondly, he also believes Newey was wary of the “politicized environment” at Maranello, which is not something that would appeal to the 65-year-old.
Aston Martin seem to hold all the aces to get Newey’s signature
Former Red Bull F1 driver Robert Doornbos took to his LinkedIn page to discuss Newey’s future earlier this month. Doornbos said the approach from Aston Martin to Newey had been “finalized”. It was Doornbos who appeared to break the news that Aston Martin would be doubling Newey’s salary to $100 million. He described Newey as being Aston Martin’s “top priority” and that the team is likely to have enticed him following the completion of their new state-of-the-art factory, complete with next-generation wind tunnel.
A new works partnership deal with Honda – the current suppliers of Red Bull’s engine – may also be an attraction. Furthermore, Newey’s management has secured a deal with Red Bull to enable him to begin work with his new employer from the start of the 2025 season, giving him ample opportunity to have strong input in the team’s car for the 2026 F1 season.
If Ferrari fail to agree to Newey’s demands and Aston Martin submit a proposal that’s too good for him to refuse, it looks like the car design guru will formally sign on the dotted line with them.
