Lewis Hamilton has hinted that Ferrari could sign Adrian Newey for F1 2025 amid the chaos at Red Bull, saying his move to the Scuderia proves “anything is possible”.
Despite Red Bull existing as a dominant force in F1, the reigning constructors’ champions have been thrown into chaos amid the Christian Horner saga.
After an investigation into Horner was closed last week, Max Verstappen’s father Jos publicly called for the team principal to resign, accusing Horner of “playing the victim when he’s the one causing the problems. “
Divisions between teams have led to speculation about the long careers of key figures at the Red Bull team, adding Verstappen, who did not close the door on a possible move to Mercedes on Wednesday, and Newey, the most decorated F1 designer in history.
Speaking ahead of this weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Hamilton, who rocked world F1 last month by announcing a sensational switch to Ferrari for 2025, claimed Verstappen was “confident” he would be on the shortlist to upgrade at Mercedes despite his contract with Red Bull. . ongoing until 2028.
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And he warned that Ferrari could make a move for Newey, but admitted “it’s not my decision”.
Newey has been linked with a stint at Ferrari throughout his career, with the Italian team on the verge of securing his signature after Red Bull’s initial era of dominance under Sebastian Vettel ended in 2014.
Asked if he could consider Verstappen moving to Mercedes and Newey to Ferrari, Hamilton told the media in Jeddah: “I think my move has shown that everything is imaginable and the next six months are going to be really interesting.
“I don’t have any additional scoops on [Mercedes’ plans]. I’m sure Max is on the list, but I’m pretty sure he’s belt-strapped, and I also don’t see why such a smart car would be abandoned. !
“But as far as Adrian is concerned, having worked within the team, I know that Adrian clearly gets all the praise for everyone’s work.
“I know he plays a vital role, of course, but I know there are a lot of engineers behind him who play an important role in the progression of the team and the car they have and it’s not up to one person.
“So it’s not my decision.
“I’m racing against him this year right now, so I can’t communicate anything about next year right now. “
In his 2017 autobiography, Newey, who joined Red Bull in 2006 after productive stints at Williams and McLaren, explained that his decision to defeat Ferrari in 2014 stemmed from his admiration for Red Bull’s culture, which he said represented “the true spirit of motorsport. “. Races,”
He said: “We had gone from being a paddock joke, an upstart, a comfortable drinks company to party with, to four-time world champions, and we had done it in an old-fashioned way, principles that to me were true to the true spirit of motorsport.
“I went back to the start of the 2012 season, when we couldn’t get the car to work properly, and I remembered with pride that our shoulders didn’t drop. We had put our heads down, worked on it, and solved the problem. problem.
“I have an idea of how we evolved young drivers instead of buying star names; how we had helped put Milton Keynes on the map; how, at all times, we never stop working; how we had taken the road less traveled, even when it meant dealing with probably insurmountable technical upheavals or challenges; How we never choose the undeniable choice of pursuing an undeniable life nor do we sit on our laurels, rejoice in ourselves, and make the decision to “it will work. “
“We’ve continued to innovate. “
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