Adrian Newey admits he’s ‘come close’ to joining Formula 1 rival on three occasions

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Red Bull chief technical officer Adrian Newey has admitted that he came close to joining Formula 1 rivals Ferrari on three separate occasions.

Max Verstappen and Christian Horner will be delighted that the 64-year-old turned down their advances after designing the most dominant car in F1 history this year.

Adrian Newey was speaking to Eddie Jordan and David Coulthard on the Formula For Success Podcast and reflecting on his time in the sport and a remarkable 2023.

Lewis Hamilton’s tally of 103 Grand Prix wins is currently the highest amongst any driver.

However, that achievement is dwarfed by Adrian Newey, who has seen the cars he’s designed win more than double that tally and 13 Drivers’ Championships.

It’s a remarkable feat and has made Newey one of the most coveted people in the F1 paddock.

Newey has now revealed that Ferrari tried to hire him on three occasions and he nearly made the leap.

However, he’s stuck to his guns much to the delight of Williams, McLaren and Red Bull during his stints with each team.

It’s no coincidence that each team has enjoyed successful periods under his stewardship.

Newey admits turning three Ferrari approaches down

Eddie Jordan asked Newey about his opportunities within F1 and said: “Is going to Ferrari ever on your agenda or could you ever see that happening and if not, I’d like to know how many times you’ve been approached by Ferrari and by whom?”

Newey replied: “Well, it’s funny isn’t it because Ferrari is this magic brand that in all honesty everybody in motor racing is always fascinated by and tempted to join if offered the opportunity.

“I’ve been approached and come close three times now, one of those in IndyCars way back.

“It’s an amazing brand, it has all this mystique about it, it’s effectively the Italian national team with all the pros and cons that come with that.

“The cons are that if you don’t do a great job you are absolutely berated and torn apart, but of course, if you do a good job, you’re a national hero.

“That brings all of its own pressures. I have to try and take the passion side out of it and approach it from an engineering side and the teams I’ve worked for I’ve hugely enjoyed.”

Ferrari might wish that they had offered Newey a better deal during any of those three interactions.

However, the idea of Newey combining with Michael Schumacher is a terrifying thought considering the German’s dominance without him.

Newey has admitted in the past that he wishes he had worked with Fernando Alonso.

He might still have an opportunity as both of them don’t appear to be close to retiring any time soon.