Ferrari-Adrian Newey talks fell through due to engineer's unsustainable demands: Reports

The Italian publication Autosprint has reported that a partnership between Ferrari and Adrian Newey could not happen because the engineer's demands were not sustainable. The ace designer, who has built race-winning cars for teams like Red Bull, Williams and McLaren, is out of a contract in 2025 and looking for a new challenge.

The designer was part of the core set-up at Red Bull and had been with the squad for almost two decades before calling time on the relationship early in the season. One of the teams that were expected to be the frontrunners to sign him was Ferrari.

Even before Newey had left Red Bull, his name was associated with the Italian team. Rumors of his move only intensified when Lewis Hamilton was announced as one of the drivers on the Italian team.

It was thus a big surprise when Newey's name started getting associated with other teams like Williams, Aston Martin, and McLaren. Even Mercedes was mentioned in the conversation before Toto Wolff shut down those rumors.

After months of speculation, an Italian publication is reporting that the talks between Ferrari and Adrian Newey collapsed because the engineer made "unsustainable" demands.

According to the report from Autosprint, financial demands were not an issue. The problem, reportedly, was with the administrative demands from Newey, which included the power to hire engineers, the right to veto, and the acceptance of technical partnerships. With these powers clashing with Fred Vasseur's role as team principal, the talks eventually broke down.

The report states:

"The president, to give more substance to the negotiation, had invited Newey to send him a report with all his wishes. The document then arrived and it was not an A4 sheet, but a bridal train.

"No problem for the economic agreement (for Ferrari the "Whatever it takes" rule was in force ), but Newey had asked to take over decision-making powers that are the prerogative of the team principal: among these the binding consent - and therefore the right of veto - on the hiring of new engineers, the assignment of roles, the acceptance of technical partnerships.

"At that point (we are in May) Vasseur got in the way, and it is hard to disagree with him. Newey at all costs is just a figure of speech, because such a cost can actually become unsustainable, even politically. Vasseur said no and, we repeat, he has our understanding. On the contrary and for that nothing that now matters, the economic aspect of the Ferrari-Newey agreement has never been a problem."

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History of Ferrari and Adrian Newey coming close to partnering each other

Instances of Ferrari and Adrian Newey potentially coming together date back to the 1980s, when the designer was first approached by the Italian team. Since then, he's been approached by the team multiple times over the years.

When Newey was in Williams and had built some of the most brilliant cars in F1 with active suspension, he was approached by Jean Todt-led Ferrari in 1993. He was also approached by the Italian team in 2014, when Red Bull was going through a tough phase with underperforming Renault power units.

Newey later revealed that Ferrari offered him a mega contract, but he had to say no because he considered the Austrian team to be his home.

The 2024 attempt is the fourth one that Ferrari and Adrian Newey have made to form a partnership, but it has failed once again. It is likely that where Newey goes now will be his last stop, so the chances of a partnership with Ferrari seem slim.