Eddie Jordan is Adrian Newey’s manager, and the two men have been friends for a long time, first as people in the F1 paddock, then as collaborators, and even as neighbors. The former team boss explains that he tried to recruit Newey in the mid-90s, in vain, and praises the integrity of the British engineer.
“I remember going to his house and leaving him a check for half a million in the hope that it would be enough to convince him to come work as a designer at Jordan. That didn’t happen, he went to McLaren” says Jordan.
“When I think about when I knew him, because he was at Leyton House in the late ’80s and ’90s, so it’s been a very long time, around 30 years, and I don’t I’ve never heard anything bad about him, and it’s often indicative of the caliber of person he is.
“Some would say that he is brilliant when he has a pencil in his hand, and that he becomes a very normal, calm and discreet man when he does not have a pencil in his hand. And I think that that is exactly who he is. Whatever he decides, we wish him well.”
“I’m not, in this case, going to feign indecision and I’m not going to say what’s probably my advice, but you know, we talk a lot. We ride a lot of bikes. I’ve seen him pretty much every day for two or three months this winter.”
“We’re next door neighbors so to speak and so there are certain things I know and certain things he knows about me. But you know, my lips are sealed, you won’t get a word out of me!”
Jordan thinks Newey could aspire to a well-deserved retirement, and that’s certainly the decision he would make personally. That’s what he imagines him doing, although Ferrari is a likely option for Newey’s near future.
“If I were him? Don’t forget he was constantly under pressure at Red Bull. If he wants to take some time to rest, everyone will understand that and I think it’s more likely that he’s doing it rather than pursuing other career options. Things have changed a little, he’s aged a little, but who knows what else Adrian might have in store for us?
