What’s the latest in the tug-of-war to sign Adrian Newey?

Adrian Newey will depart his current employers next year, and could start work with a new team in time to have a major impact on their 2026 car.

The Red Bull chief technical officer is arguably the most crucial individual signing in F1 today yet, now aged 65, he’s in no rush to decide.

“Everything else is a bonus, really,” Newey said this week without confirming his intentions.

What do we know about Newey’s options?

Ferrari

Ferrari have failed to sign Newey on three previous occasions, in the 80s, then the 90s, and most recently in 2014.

Newey described the offer he rejected a decade ago: “The promise was of an almost film-star lifestyle and the most ridiculously large financial offer, well over double the already generous salary I was receiving at Red Bull.”

Doubts that Newey wants to live in Italy remain to this day. Whether he would need to uproot his life and go to Maranello permanently is uncertain.

Newey delayed his travel to the F1 Miami Grand Prix in May to meet Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur in London, Gazzetta reported.

Vasseur has since played down his team’s desperation for Newey, saying: “It’s not about big names. We need to pay attention on details, to focus on this.”

But one big name guaranteed to arrive at Ferrari in 2025 is Lewis Hamilton.

Hamilton is famously one of three drivers that Newey has named as regrets that he has never worked with (the others are Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso).

The final opportunity to work with F1’s most successful driver, Hamilton, may be in Newey’s hands now.

But a move to the iconic Italian team is far from certain.

Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna “baulked at the level of salary” that Newey wants, amid concerns the tech guru “would have too much power”, the BBC reported this week. Other sources in the same story downplayed those fears.

The lure of the famous red team is clear.

Last weekend, Newey was behind the wheel of Niki Lauda’s Ferrari at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

The opportunity to turn them into F1’s dominant force again - with Hamilton and Charles Leclerc at the wheel - of the 2026 regulations era is at the tip of his fingers.

McLaren

A return to Woking could be on the cards for Newey.

Newey spent eight years at McLaren between 1997 to 2005 before leaving to join Red Bull, which were at the time, just a midfield team.

McLaren’s remarkable resurgence under Zak Brown’s leadership makes signing Newey more viable than it was 12 months ago.

Not only do Brown and Newey share a close friendship, having competed together in the Monaco Classic back in May, the Red Bull guru’s manager, Eddie Jordan, has previously hinted there’s been contact with McLaren.

Jordan let slip during an interview in Monaco: “When we get the next deal from Zak [Brown] or whoever it might be, a proper new bike will be part of the contract.”

Remarkably, McLaren’s most recent constructors’ title win was in 1999 - when Newey was at the team.

Aston Martin

Aston Martin remain heavily linked with Newey as they continue to bolster their ever-growing technical team.

They’ve recently added Andy Cowell - Mercedes’ former engine chief - and poached Enrico Cardile from Ferrari.

Newey would be the cherry on the top of the cake as Aston Martin look to move from midfield team to title contender in time for Honda’s arrival in 2026 - when they become an effective works team for the new regulations.

One point that could play in Aston Martin’s favour is Newey’s desire to work with Alonso.

He’s been quoted as saying to The Times: “There are some drivers, like Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso, who I would have loved to work with, but so far it has not been the right place or time in terms of us coming together.”

The Telegraph claimed Newey had a private tour of Aston Martin's Silverstone factory with talks taking place with owner Lawrence Stroll.

Mercedes

Even though they're an outsider in the race to sign Newey, you can’t rule out Mercedes.

While more recently Mercedes are on an upwards trajectory in terms of car development, the signing of Newey could help them guarantee a return to championship-contention in the future.

Adding Newey to your organisation could also be another pull factor in Mercedes’ pursuit of Max Verstappen.

A reunion of Verstappen with Newey, then adding Helmut Marko to the mix as a Lauda-esque consultant - it seems plausible.

However, James Allison is currently Mercedes’ technical director having returned to the fold last year in place of Mike Elliott.

And given their return to form, Toto Wolff might stay loyal to his current technical team as they emerge as a major threat to Red Bull and McLaren on a regular basis in 2024.

Wolff admitted that no F1 team could "discount" Newey but made clear Mercedes aren't "waiting for a messiah". 

“No team can discount Adrian," he told Sky. “But he needs to fit into the organisation and he needs to want it. So, I think, you’ve got to always look at opportunities.

“It’s not like, today, we are waiting for a messiah.”

Williams

Newey’s former team Williams are reportedly in the running for his signature too.

The arrival of James Vowles from Mercedes as their team principal, and the renewal of star driver Alex Albon’s contract, have made an impact inside the F1 paddock.

Vowles said about his pursuit of Newey in May: "I respect him enormously. He has history at Williams.

“And I first and foremost wanted to make sure I had a conversation with him to say this is the place to be.

“We have to be straightforward. I want to make sure we're talking to him. I want to make sure our name is in the hat.

“There are some big players out there doing a lot of big number movements."

Newey worked for Williams between 1991 and 1996. There is little doubt that a return now would be a romantic option.

Although not a frontrunner anymore, Williams might be reliant on Newey fancying the challenge of turning around a former powerhouse and restoring past glories. 

Would Newey do that rather than join a bigger team? He famously does not chase the limelight…