Adrian Newey may ignore Lewis Hamilton plea and sign for F1 rival after factory tour
Aston Martin could yet deny Lewis Hamilton his dream of working alongside legendary car designer Adrian Newey.
Hamilton is joining Ferrari at the end of the current season and has already said publicly that he wants Newey to join him in Italy. The 65-year-old is leaving Red Bull early next year, having joined in 2006 and designed seven title-winning cars.
Ferrari remains a potential destination for Newey, but are believed to have been put off by his salary demands. Aston Martin are also reluctant to match the figure he wants, reported by The Telegraph to be around £25m per year.
But Newey has visited Aston's new Silverstone base in recent weeks and been given a tour of the facilities. And though billionaire owner Lawrence Stroll isn't keen on matching the designer's financial demands, he would very much like Newey to join his outfit.
Should the 65-year-old agree, it would be a blow to Hamilton who declared in May that he would "very much" like to work with someone of his stature. The seven-time F1 champion said: "Adrian has got such a great history and track record.
"He's obviously done an amazing job through his career and engaging with teams and the knowledge he has. I think he would be an amazing addition. Ferrari have already got a great team. They are already making huge progress and strides, their car is quicker this year. He would be a privilege to work with."
In response, Newey said the he was "flattered" by Hamilton's public praise. But he also made it clear that he is in no rush to make a decision over his future and plans to take some time off to recharge before committing himself to a new project, if he does actually continue in F1.
Lewis Hamilton admitted he wants Adrian Newey to join him at Ferrari next year
And that was the message echoed by Newey's friend and manager Eddie Jordan as he spoke about the situation on his Formula For Success podcast. The Irish businessman and former F1 team owner said: "Remember, he's been in Red Bull under constant pressure, so if he's gonna take time out and just cruise for a while, everyone would understand that.
"That's probably more likely to see rather diving into any other possible employment career. Things have slightly changed... He probably should and would look to the future about a change of life."
As well as Aston Martin and Ferrari, two of Newey's former teams are also potential destinations. McLaren are already making impressive improvements without his expertise, though Williams still have work to do to get back to the front of the F1 grid and team principal James Vowles said he wanted to put "our name in the hat".