Ex-F1 driver reveals ‘only reason’ for Adrian Newey to join Ferrari

Adrian Newey's future has been the talk of the paddock for the past few weeks.

Ex-F1 driver reveals ‘only reason’ for Adrian Newey to join Ferrari

Adrian Newey, via IMAGO

Red Bull started the 2024 season with power struggles within the team. This instability led to Adrian Newey announcing that he would leave the team, and the ties between the two broke apart. Since then, much speculation has been made about whether the British designer would join Ferrari. Subsequently, the former F1 driver, Juan Pablo Montoya revealed the only condition that would be able to persuade Newey to move to Maranello.

Adrian Newey is often considered the best designer to have ever stepped foot into F1. The 65-year-old has amassed more than two dozen championships in his vast career and is now on the brink of a new chapter in his F1 life. On the other hand, Juan Pablo Montoya has worked with the Brit previously during his stint with McLaren and knows a lot about how Newey likes to work.

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With such great knowledge about Newey’s working structure, the Colombian claimed Ferrari would have to go unorthodox to make the Englishman jump aboard.

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If Ferrari said, 'The next five supercars you're in charge of, and you've got to build the F1 car', I think he would jump on that opportunity in a heartbeat because he likes pushing beyond what's possible.
Juan Pablo Montoya said in an interview with RacingNews365

The 48-year-old reckoned that if the Italian squad offered Newey a contract where he would get the opportunity to design both supercars for the factory outlet and F1 team, then he could be persuaded to join them. He elaborated on this condition as the Brit likes to push himself beyond the limits. Moreover, this would allow him to expand the scope of his creativity and enjoy his last few years in the sport.

How has Red Bull coped with Adrian Newey’s loss?

Experts speculated that losing a design genius like the 65-year-old might create havoc within Red Bull. Though this statement carried some truth as Red Bull instantly witnessed a slump in performance, but the team’s technical director, Pierre Wache, made it clear that they are still on course to meet their expectations.

Red Bull's Adrian Newey
Adrian Newey(via IMAGO)

The Frenchman revealed how Red Bull is planning to work around Newey’s departure.

As a person, people like [Newey], and he’s leaving… but we are focused on our side, to be fair. We will be able to work on the aero side only in the beginning of next year, then we are preparing ourselves. The engine is a big challenge also for us, and it’s looking promising.
Pierre Wache said in an interview with F1

The 49-year-old admitted that his British colleague was one of the most liked persons on the team. However, with the news of his departure, the team has tried to remain focused on their main goal. He then revealed that the Austrian giant has started working on the 2026 regulations and is seeing promising signs of growth.

Despite Wache’s claims, an effect must be felt all over Red Bull’s technical department. Thus, a title fight could develop under the new set of regulations, as for the first time in a long period, the technical department at Red Bull has to deal with things by themselves.

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