Adrian Newey says he has no desire to work for anyone but Red Bull as he admits he turned down an offer from Ferrari to join them last year.
The 52-year-old technical director says his time with the Milton Keynes outfit has been ‘hugely rewarding’, an apt description given their achievements since he joined them.
“They’re [Ferrari] a great team and just like many drivers end up succumbing to Ferrari’s romance, engineers aren’t completely callous,” he told the Guardian. “But I won’t be going to Ferrari.
“One reason is that my family [with four children] is in England. And being involved with Red Bull from the start has been hugely rewarding. I have no desire to work for anyone else in F1.”
Despite having worked for and designer several cars for Williams and McLaren in the past among others, the design guru says he hasn’t run out of ideas just yet, though his mind can often go blank.
“Coming up with ideas is interesting and indefinable, isn’t it? The brain is a funny thing. An idea often emerges in the shower, or during a walk. Your brain has been ticking away and the idea just bubbles up.
“Occasionally you feel, ‘God, I’ve gone dry.’ It’s like writers’ block. Shortly before the launch of a new car, when I’ve used all my existing ideas, I think, ‘Now what?’ But running the car produces new ideas as you understand what you’ve created.”
On the subject of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber, Newey denied that the Australian was driving slower as the gap between the two has grown since last season. He put it down to adapting to the new tyres, something he believes Vettel has managed better.
“At the moment he’s [Vettel] really on top of his game. So far the gap between Sebastian and Mark [Webber] has been bigger than last year. It’s certainly not a case that Mark has been driving any slower – that’s for sure. Mark’s just taken a bit longer to adapt to the Pirelli tyres but the gap is closing.”
He’s keen to see the veteran racer continue with the team next season after scoffing at the thought of Lewis Hamilton pairing up with Vettel.
“Crikey,” said Newey when the ‘fantasy’ pairing was put to him, before focusing his attention on Webber, “I’m hoping Mark continues next season. Apart from being a great person, his contribution has been significant.
“He’s been a pillar of the team from the start. Seb is very perceptive in his feedback in some regards and Mark is very perceptive in other areas. We listen to both and it helps the car.”
