Stopover in London

Did Vasseur meet with Newey on the way to Miami?

Adrian Newey (left) is said to have met with Frederic Vasseur.

(Bild: AFP/APA/ANDREJ ISAKOVIC/ERWIN SCHERIAU)

An alleged stopover by Ferrari team boss Frederic Vasseur on the way to the Miami race has the PS tifosi finally dreaming of a golden Formula 1 future. The Scuderia's shrewd race director is said to have met for contract talks with technical genius Adrian Newey, whose early resignation from world champion team Red Bull has caused a tremor ahead of the sixth round of the season on Sunday (10pm). 

Vasseur has already surprised the premier class by signing record champion Lewis Hamilton for next season, and a deal with Newey would be the Frenchman's masterstroke. Such a move by arguably the best race car designer in the history of Formula 1 would fulfill several objectives at once. Industry leader Red Bull could lose one of the guarantors of its title series with Sebastian Vettel and currently Max Verstappen to its closest rival. Ferrari would not only score a PR coup, but also increase its appeal to other top drivers. And possibly also gain pole position for the major rule reform in 2026.

Meeting in London
In the midst of the overwhelming dominance of Red Bull and Max Verstappen, who has already won four of the first five races of the season, such prospects warm the hearts of Ferrari fans. At a meeting in London, team boss Vasseur continued his courtship of Newey, according to reports in the Italian media. There was talk of a highly lucrative offer when rumors of Newey's departure intensified.

The decisive factor here is that the 65-year-old will be allowed to leave Red Bull at the beginning of 2025 well before his contract actually expires and will then probably no longer have to adhere to a lock-in period. Newey could therefore still influence the development of the completely new car for 2026, the year of the major change in regulations with more climate-friendly engines and new vehicle concepts.

"Leonardo da Vinci of aerodynamics"
The Ferrari-affiliated "Gazzetta dello Sport" has long been longing for the "Leonardo da Vinci of aerodynamics" and dreaming of triumphs like Michael Schumacher once did. According to the industry, Newey has already rejected the parallel advances of the Aston Martin team led by billionaire owner Lawrence Stroll.

Adrian Newey

(Bild: AFP)

The super tinkerer has proven his magic many times, especially in times of major rule changes. His designs for Williams, McLaren and Red Bull were the basis for 13 drivers' titles and 12 team world championships. In his farewell message, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner praised Newey for "his extraordinary ability to think beyond Formula 1, his remarkable talent for embracing change and focusing on the most promising areas of the rules, and his unconditional will to win".

"The beginning of a new era"
However, because the relationship between Horner and Newey has cooled considerably of late, the Red Bull empire is in danger of being shaken. "I believe that this will be the beginning of a new era for Red Bull and that he will not be the last to leave," Sky expert Ralf Schumacher told the German Press Agency. The former racing driver now expects a bloodletting of further top engineers at Red Bull. "If that happens, I believe that the team could slide into mediocrity with the new rules for the 2026 season at the latest," said the 48-year-old. Max Verstappen's father Jos also takes these prophecies of doom seriously. "The team is in danger of falling apart. I was already afraid of that at the beginning of the year," the former Formula 1 driver told the Telegraaf.

Red Bull still owns the sporting present. Triple world champion Max Verstappen should also win the third guest appearance in Miami and continue his rush to the next title. But a new Ferrari super team could end the Verstappen era by 2026 at the latest.