Lewis Hamilton isn’t expected to be joined by Adrian Newey at Ferrari – with Helmut Marko reminding him that’s their second blow in the space of a month. Newey has been a man in demand since announcing his departure from Red Bull in May.
One of the many interested parties were the Prancing Horse, where, like Hamilton, he’s never worked. But according to Italian publication Autosprint, the 65-year-old has chosen to stay based in the UK and instead sign with Aston Martin.
An official announcement is expected to be made in September. That will come as a disappointment to Hamilton, who had made no secret of his desire to work alongside the highly-regarded Newey.
Adrian has such a great history [and] track record. He has done an amazing job through his career, engaging with teams, the knowledge that he has. It would be a privilege to work with him.”
It comes on the same day that Red Bull chief Marko has rubbed salt in the wounds by highlighting the exit of chassis technical director Enrico Cardile, who’s headed to Aston Martin too, as a major loss.
“Ferrari has lost an important man in chassis boss Cardile,” Marko told OE24. “Let’s wait and see what happens with Adrian Newey. He has some top offers, including from England, and can decide where he goes.”
Aston Martin issued a statement in response to Autosprint’s claim regarding Newey, remaining coy as they said: “The Aston Martin Aramco F1 team is a very appealing project with Lawrence Stroll’s vision, a state of the art new Technology Campus and exiting partnerships with Aramco and Honda.
“Many high-profile individuals across all areas of the team are linked to the project but we don’t have anything to announce.”
There could be better news on the way for Hamilton, though. Motorsport Italy claim Ferrari have found their replacement for Cardile.
They’re said to be in talks with former Mercedes technical director Mike Elliott, who left the Silver Arrows last October after working closely with the seven-time world champion, including at McLaren.
“I’ve loved working with him, within this team,” Hamilton said at the time. “He’s such an intelligent individual. He was someone I would always speak to on aerodynamics. He was amazing at explaining everything to me, so I learned a lot from him.”
