RANKED: Adrian Newey's next F1 destination from the least to most likely

Adrian Newey leaving Red Bull earlier in the season was a surprise for the F1 fraternity. Here was a man who had been the leading light for the Austrian squad for almost two decades. All of a sudden, just after his car had produced the most dominant season ever in the history of the sport, he decided it was time to leave.

Since that announcement, Newey's name has been associated with many teams. Even Newey himself recently remarked that he was not too surprised to receive as many offers as he did when he announced aabout leaving Red Bull.

There's one thing, though, and that's the fact that Adrian hasn't signed any new commitment until now. He's still holding his cards and is not in the mood to show anyone what he wants to do next. There are, however, as many as five contenders who, it appears, have been linked to Newey in one way or another.

In this feature, we're going to rank them in terms of the likelihood of where Adrian Newey might end up when he eventually takes a call.

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Adrian Newey's next possible F1 destination

#5 Alpine

Flavio Briatore coming back in F1 has led to quite a few turning heads and taking a keen interest in what the future holds for Alpine. It was reported by multiple publications that the Italian had a meeting with Newey soon after he had joined the French squad.

Well, for all intents and purposes, this is the least likely option for Newey. Alpine are a squad with no clear future. There's a lack of idea of what they want to do next. Moreover, Renault has had a propensity to not be willing to shell out the big bucks when needed in terms of resource allocation.

Newey vividly remembers that, as Red Bull faced the problem in 2014 when the Renault power unit was below par and the French manufacturer flatly declined any added investment in making it better.

By all means, the number of red flags around Alpine is just too many, and Newey would think many times before committing to such a team.

#4 Ferrari

The only reason why Ferrari seem one of the least likely options is because when Adrian Newey first announced he was leaving Red Bull, it was almost presumed that his next home was going to Maranello. The fact that it has not happened yet is as big an indication as possible that talks have stalled for some reason.

Either Ferrari or Adrian Newey got cold feet and just stepped away before making a commitment. By the looks of it, if there were ever going to be a signature on the dotted line, it would have been done by now.

#3 Mercedes

Mercedes are one name that jumped into contention recently when it was revealed that Adrian Newey visited Brackley. Toto Wolff is a great salesman, and he knows how to sell a project.

For Newey, after spending almost a decade trying to beat the German team, could he want to go to that team? Well, as it comes with the possibility of either working with Max Verstappen again or with a talent like Kimi Antonelli, it could surely happen.

#2 McLaren

McLaren were the last team Adrian Newey was a part of before he joined Red Bull. While he succeeded to some extent, it's difficult to say that the entire experience was as fruitful for him. After winning the title in 1998 and 1999 with the Ron Dennis-led squad, Newey and the team principal's relations deteriorated.

So much so that before Newey even joined Red Bull, he contemplated leaving the sport altogether. In a way, things at McLaren didn't end the way Newey had hoped, and he didn't achieve the kind of success he wanted either.

The Zak Brown-led squad is surging at the moment, and with almost all the pieces in place, Newey would be a brilliant addition. With rumors of McLaren sharing a coffee or two with Newey, it won't come as a surprise if the star designer ends up at Woking once again.

#1 Aston Martin

Atleast for now, it appears that Aston Martin are in prime position to secure the services of Adrian Newey. There have been multiple reports about the same, and to add to it, the intangibles also point towards it.

In terms of aggression and drive, Aston Martin/Lawrence Stroll have been relentless in pursuit of key personnel for the team. The facilities that have been upgraded are nothing short of becoming the benchmark in F1.

If there's one team that could be willing to spend all the resources possible and give Adrian Newey a free leash, it might be Aston Martin. Hence, at the moment, they appear to be the frontrunners over everybody else.