The world is Newey's Oyster, Ferrari or sailing around the planet?
F1 NewsSunday, 28 April 2024 at 11:46
Adrian Newey dominated headlines in the week after the 2024 Chinese Grand Prix, when a speculative story went viral 'convincing' the Formula 1 world that the sport's greatest designer/engineer will follow Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari.
The report that started the 'rot' was published by Auto Motor und Sport, perhaps a quiet news day for them, when they speculated that Newey, fed-up with Christian Horner's sex-texting scandal wants to leave Red Bull. This piece was picked up by Sky F1 who 'happened' upon Red Bull staff claiming Newey was leaving.
To quell the noise, the World Champions responded simply: “Adrian is contracted at least till the end of 2025, we are unaware of him joining any other team.”
Until Newey actually confirms what 'Newey' is doing, everything is speculation. And that could amount to him ditching Red Bull to join Ferrari in 2026, or perhaps kitting up 'Oyster' and taking a sailing trip around the world.
As a boomer, Newey may have seen that inspirational movie -
The Dove - about a bloke who sails around the world. It inspired a generation of youngsters in the seventies to want to do the same, petrolhead or not it was on the bucket list for life's journey ahead.
Whether a young Newey watched the movie is unknown, however a round-the-world trip by sea is high on his agenda. This year he receives his boat, a 27.4-metre Oyster 885 model for that purpose, having significantly contributed to the design and engineering of the [estimated] $6-million sail yacht.
Newey: We are tailoring an existing design
Last year when he announced the acquisition of the Oyster, Newey said of his project: "It’s all personal and that’s the great thing about building a boat from new. We are tailoring an existing design, but it’s for a very different outcome.
"The beauty about motor racing is that there’s only two things that count: how quick it is and whether it’s reliable or not. Building a live-aboard sailing yacht is much more subjective in terms of the overall pleasure versus performance and usability," added Newey, when asked to compare designing a F1 car to a yacht.
Should Newey indeed depart Red Bull, it will be with 14 World Titles (2024 is in the bag and maybe 2025 as well) for the combo that began in 2005 when Jaguar morphed into Dietrich Mateschitz's dream team: Red Bull Racing.
If Ferrari is his destination, it makes a great deal of sense. As the Scuderia President John Elkann builds their next Super Team, with Lewis Hamilton signed, Newey is the next logical acquistion for the Reds. And for the Englishman, there would be no better 'place' to end his career and build on his incredible legacy, as the design guru at Maranello. Think about that carefully...
What more does Newey have to prove in Formula 1?
However, the lure of 'The Dove' and sailing around the world with his Oyster might be too much. Maybe 65-year-old Newey has had enough of F1. His 25 F1 world titles (12 constructors' and 13 drivers' titles) are unlikely to ever be usurped, what more does Newey have to prove?
A couple of years sailing the planet, contemplating the aero on seagulls, how hurricanes and typhoons impact his yacht and, on days of no wind at all, with modern technology making it a cinch, he could even make some cash amid his adventures by consulting to the highest bidder in the F1 paddock via satellite internet. Consultant at sea, so to speak!
In other words, the world is Newey's Oyster. Does he stay put at Red Bull? Does he sail the globe from 2026 for a couple of years on 'gardening leave' before joining Ferrari? Or does he simply sail away into the sunset? Only he knows.
Meanwhile, as we wait on what Newey has to say on the matter of his own future, worth listing the great man's F1 world championship-winning creations:
- F1 title number one came for Newey in 1992 when Nigel Mansell crushed the opposition in his all-conquering Williams FW14B.
- F1 titles followed with Williams for Alain Prost (FW15C), Damon Hill (FW16) and Jacques Villeneuve (FW19)
- In 1997, Newey was poached by Ron Dennis at McLaren and a year later Mika Hakkinen was celebrating the first of successive titles with the MP4/13.
- In 2006, Christian Horner came knocking and convinced Newey to join Red Bull the start-up
- Newey delivered for RBR within four years, with Sebastian Vettel sweeping all before him to land four consecutive F1 titles between 2010 and 2013.
- After Mercedes almost decade-long dominance, Newey's cars are again winning, more dominant than ever before with Max Verstappen heading to his fourth F1 Driver's title in a row. The RB18 and RB19 doing the business for the World Champs.
- Red Bull aiming for a hat-trick of F1 Constructors' titles this year with the mighty Newey & Co. penned RB20.
Big Question: What next for Adrian Newey?
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