ADRIAN NEWEY HAS LEWIS HAMILTON REGRET AHEAD OF ASTON MARTIN MOVE AND FERRARI SNUB

Adrian Newey has spurned a career ambition by seemingly choosing Aston Martin over Ferrari following his Red Bull exit. The most renowned designer in the sport's history stunned the F1 world earlier this year by announcing he would be leaving Red Bull after 20 years.

That triggered a scramble for his services, with half of the grid being linked with the 65-year-old. Ferrari, who have courted Newey on several occasions in the past, were the early favourites to land the Englishman.

They held a trump card in Lewis Hamilton, who will join the Italian squad next year after more than a decade with Mercedes. Newey has often spoken of his admiration for the seven-time world champion. In an interview with F1's Beyond the Grid podcast last year, he was asked if he had regretted not having Ferrari on his CV.

He replied: "Emotionally, I guess, to a point, yes. But just as, for instance, working with Fernando [Alonso] and Lewis would have been fabulous. But it never happened. It's just circumstance sometimes, that's the way it is."

Soon after Newey's Red Bull's departure was announced, Hamilton said he would welcome him with open arms at Ferrari. He said: "They [Ferrari] have got a great team and they are making huge progress and their car is quicker this year, but it would be a privilege to work with him.

"If I was to do a list of people I would like to work with then he [Newey] would absolutely be at the top of it. Any team would be fortunate to have the opportunity to work with him."

A flattered Newey told Sky Sports in May: "It's very kind of Lewis to say that, and I'm very flattered. But at the moment it's just take a little bit of a break and see what happens next."

After taking stock during his break, Newey has reportedly decided to work with another F1 icon in Alonso, Aston's lead driver and the team-mate of Lance Stroll, the son of team owner Lawrence, who is said to have lured the legendary designer with a £20million per year contract.

Newey's Aston move is expected to be announced at a press conference at the team's Silverstone headquarters on Tuesday, September 10. While he will be able to have limited input into the 2025 car, Newey has been hired with 2026 in mind, when a new set of F1 regulations will come into force.

Newey, who has previously designed championship-winning cars at Williams and McLaren, is famed for mastering new rules, with the Red Bull's dominance of the 2022 and 2023 seasons being the most recent examples.

2024-09-07T08:22:21Z dg43tfdfdgfd