Lewis Hamilton does not hide it, he places Adrian Newey at the top of the list of those with whom he would like to work in Formula 1. The British engineer will leave Red Bull and will be free to join the project of his choice in 2025, this which fuels rumors, including that of a possible arrival at Ferrari. The same Scuderia that the seven-time World Champion will join at the end of his contract with Mercedes.
Asked about this prospect in the Miami paddock, Lewis Hamilton admits a form of excitement but stays away from any speculation, while it is still unknown whether the constitution of such a “dream team” will become reality in a few months or if it will remain at the strong hypothesis stage.
Evoking “private conversations” by refusing to say whether the recruitment of Adrian Newey was discussed when he negotiated his arrival at Ferrari, the Briton nevertheless admits: “If I had to make a list of people I would love to work with, he would absolutely be at the top.”
“Adrian has such a history, such a track record”he observes. “He has done an outstanding job throughout his career with teams, and with all his knowledge, he would be a tremendous asset. They [Ferrari] already have a great team. They’ve already made huge progress, huge progress, and their car is faster this year. It would be a privilege to work with him.”
“For the moment, nothing changes [pour moi] because I don’t know what the future holds. All I know is that I will be joining an extremely enthusiastic and motivated team. And who, like I said, is doing great work right now, and has an incredible history. Nothing has really changed so far.”
I don’t expect Red Bull to stop building great cars.
Lewis Hamilton and Adrian Newey have never worked together in the same team, since the technical director had already left McLaren when the driver made his debut in F1 during the 2007 season.
“I think it was an evolution of his car”he remembers. “I came in just after he left, so the car had evolved from a concept he had worked on. I felt privileged to have had the chance to touch something he had worked on .”
Whatever Adrian Newey’s decision for his future, and despite the loss that his departure represents for Red Bull while the Milton Keynes team has outrageously dominated F1 for three seasons now, Lewis Hamilton is not for equally certain to see the Austrian team suffer in unconsidered proportions.
“We have to remember that there are many people in the shadows, there is not just one key person”he insists. “It’s not just one person. It’s a whole team that does the job. We can imagine that with all the experience he brings to the team, the people they work with will continue to do incredible job. I don’t expect Red Bull to stop building great cars in the future, but any team would be lucky to have the opportunity to work with him.
