The genius of the six-time world champion Red Bull confesses to the F1 podcast: “The Cavallino last looked for me in 2014, but it was a frustrating negotiation…”
No one in F1 deserves the nickname genius more than Adrian Newey. Red Bull’s technical director is considered the best designer of all times. Before making the fortunes of the Milton Keynes team, designing the world champion cars with Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen which guaranteed the team six constructors’ titles, he had created other winning single-seaters for Williams and McLaren. But there are also some regrets in his extraordinary career, as he confessed to the F.1 podcast. First of all, on an “emotional” level, never having worked at Ferrari.
first Ferrari assaults
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Newey explained that Ferrari looked for him three times: “At the time I was in the United States, in IndyCar, an episode that probably doesn’t count. Then in 1993 and famously in 2014. The 1993 negotiation (Newey worked for Williams; ed.) it was very attractive. I went down to Maranello to see Jean Todt, who had just started (as team principal; ed.). I remember him debating whether to hire Michael Schumacher or not. Do you think it was a good idea? “. Newey did not accept the offer, because he was reluctant to leave England after returning from the USA. The idea of creating a technological antenna, like the one used by John Barnard, did not seem ideal to him. “I never asked for it and I don’t think it would work. Ferrari is an Italian team. We at Red Bull also have a sister team (AlphaTauri; ed.) divided between Faenza, Italy and the United Kingdom, but I don’t believe in the concept.”
Ferrari’s third attempt
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Ferrari tried again in 2014, at the dawn of the era of hybrid turbo power units, when Stefano Domenicali was at the helm of the Scuderia, replaced during the season by Marco Mattiacci. Then Newey was at Red Bull, with whom he had already built a winning cycle since 2010, but the attitude of engine supplier Renault made him consider an exit. “My discussions in 2014 with Ferrari were frustrating,” continued Newey. “I really didn’t want to leave, but we were in this position where Renault hadn’t produced a competitive engine. Christian (Horner), Helmut (Marko) and I went to see Carlos Ghosn (disgraced former Renault CEO; ed.) to try to convince him to increase the budget. Ghosn’s response was: ‘I have no interest in F1. I’m only in it because my marketing people say you have to be in it’. It was a depressing situation.”
max, alo and lewis
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Newey acknowledged that he would also enjoy the opportunity to work with Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso. Two of the few champions who did not drive his cars, who also achieved triumphs with Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Damon Hill, Jacques Villeneuve and Mika Hakkinen. “Emotionally, I think it’s a regret not having worked at Ferrari. But just like, for example, working with Fernando and Lewis would have been fabulous. But it never happened. Sometimes it’s just a matter of circumstances.”
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