Adrian Newey to Ferrari? What Lewis Hamilton can expect if F1 dream team materialises

Adrian Newey and a Ferrari logo

Amid speculation that Adrian Newey could join Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari, 1997 F1 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve has lifted the lid on the secrets behind the Red Bull design guru’s success.

Rumours are rife that Newey could seek a move away from Red Bull in light of the current uncertainty surrounding the team, with reports last month suggesting Aston Martin owner Lawrence Stroll presented a lucrative contract offer to Newey at last month’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

Lewis Hamilton and Adrian Newey: Ferrari’s F1 dream team?

On Tuesday, meanwhile, German publication Auto Motor und Sport claimed Newey had recently been spotted at Bologna airport amid rumours that Ferrari have also made an offer, with the Scuderia’s interest described as “clearly serious this time” after the team last came close to signing Newey in 2014.

AMuS went on to suggest that Newey is among “quite a few in the team” – including reigning three-time World Champion Max Verstappen – concerned that a tug of war between team principal Christian Horner and Helmut Marko could tear Red Bull apart, with Newey “hating nothing more than internal politics” in a team.

Newey arrived at Red Bull in 2006 after designing Championship-winning cars for McLaren and Williams, where he helped Villeneuve pip Michael Schumacher to the title in 1997.

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Speaking to Sports Illustrated, Villeneuve has hailed Newey as “the best out there” and revealed his real strength is his ability to relate to a driver.

Asked what it is that separates Newey from other leading technical directors, Villeneuve said: “I didn’t know at the time when I joined in ‘96. I realised afterwards.

“He was amazing because I guess he can visualise the car, he can see it, he can see the airflow and he relates to it – but he also relates to the driver.

“He knows it’s not a computer driving. He knows it’s not a robot.

“So even if on the data, the numbers say this is how quick it could be, maybe a driver cannot drive it. It doesn’t feel natural.

“And he’s able to accept that and work around and work with a driver. And that’s why he’s made so many amazing cars.

“He is definitely the best out there and he has always been able to reinvent himself.

“We saw that because he designed a ‘97 car based on ‘96 and by the end [it was] based on what I was feeding him because I was going to be the driver of the following year.

“But then he left and we felt it because halfway through the season, we were nowhere.

“It took a while for the new people involved to get the ball rolling again. It’s hard to beat that combination of Adrian Newey.

“But right now where [Williams] is at with the technology level, the engineers, they’ve James Vowles also running a team. They’re going in the right direction.”

Speaking at the Saudi Arabian GP, Hamilton refused to rule out the possibility of Ferrari making a move for Newey, claiming that his move from Mercedes for 2025 is evidence that unexpected scenarios can quickly materialise.

He said: “I think my move has shown that anything’s possible and it’s going to be a really interesting next six months or so.

“Having worked within the team, I know obviously Adrian gets all the praise for everybody’s work.

“I know he’s a huge part of it, of course, but I know there’s so many engineers in the background that are a huge part of developing the team and the car that they have and it’s not down to one person.

“So it’s not my decision.

“I’m competing against him this year at the moment, so I can’t really talk about next year so far just yet.”