When Adrian Newey resigned from Red Bull, there were several teams desperate to capture his signature, including Ferrari.
Fred Vasseur was closing in on what many thought could be an all-star team. Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were in the driving seat, and were, as many thought, arguably the strongest pairing on the grid.
A missing piece of the puzzle could have been adding Newey. As Formula 1’s most decorated mind, his technical expertise could have taken them to the next level.
But after four months of speculation following his May resignation, Newey joined Aston Martin instead last September. And despite a start date of 2026, it’s already been a decision that has taken effect on Ferrari.
Ferrari still licking their ‘wound’ after Adrian Newey turned them down in 2024
Loic Serra has so far been regarded as a disappointment, as per La Gazzetta dello Sport.
Ferrari won five races and scored a grid-high 22 podiums last year, finishing just 14 points behind McLaren in the battle for the constructors’, but in 2025, they haven’t come anywhere near winning a race.
As a result, they sit almost 200 points adrift of the reigning champions.
Hamilton is already urging Ferrari to prioritise 2026 and give up any hope of a comeback this year. They could make gains by shifting resources early, but equally, persisting with the SF-25 for too long could have lasting repercussions.
The report states that Newey’s rejection ‘still seems to be burning’ for Ferrari. They would be far more optimistic about next year if he was on board, and probably so would fans.
Newey looked close to joining the Italian marquee but Aston Martin’s pulling power and allure in negotiations drew him in.
Ferrari let one of the highest-rated engineers in the sport slip through their fingers, and they’ve been left scratching their heads.
Fernando Alonso has just told Ferrari exactly what they’re missing
With no short-term obligations at Aston Martin, Newey has the unique luxury of time to find one of his famous loopholes.
Newey is issuing a reset for his new team – but it’s still unclear as to whether he would have been granted so much power at Ferrari
Fernando Alonso says Newey has already raised standards at Aston Martin by forcing colleagues to make more valuable contributions in team meetings.
Perhaps that’s exactly the kind of cultural shift that’s needed at Ferrari.
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