Craig Slater names F1 team who didn’t show Adrian Newey enough ‘respect’ during contract talks

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Adrian Newey was one of the most sought-after engineers in the Formula 1 paddock when he became a free agent in April.

The legendary car designer decided to call time on his career at Red Bull after 18 years, prompting a slew of offers from teams up and down the paddock.

Adrian Newey’s manager and former F1 team owner, Eddie Jordan, claimed nearly every team on the grid tried to sign him ahead of what will be one of the biggest rule changes in 2026.

Talks with Ferrari reached an advanced stage, however, they ultimately did not materialise after team principal Frederic Vasseur rejected Newey’s demands.

This left Aston Martin, whose billionaire owner Lawrence Stroll was more than happy to have onboard in a contract reportedly worth £30m-a-year.

Several believe Mercedes missed out by not employing Newey, although journalist Craig Slater believes there is a good reason why they were not on the shortlist when speaking on the Sky Sports F1 podcast.

Mercedes did not ‘respect’ Adrian Newey

Peter Windsor believes Mercedes made a mistake not signing Newey due to their recent struggles during this regulation cycle, having only recently managed to win multiple races in a season for the first time since 2021.

The team identified the main causes behind their struggles with the W13 and W14, but having an engineer like Newey onboard would enable them to shortcut a lot of their problems.

But even as rumours came out about which team Newey could potentially end up at, Mercedes was not on the shortlist due to a simple reason according to Slater.

“They didn’t show him enough respect contractually. Maybe the offer wasn’t big enough. And again, it’s adding to a period of success. There’s more to achieve here [Aston Martin] certainly than Mercedes in the recent past,” said Slater.

Adrian Newey working with ‘dream’ Fernando Alonso

Newey has always wanted to work with some of the greats of F1 having worked at Red Bull with Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen.

Fernando Alonso was always a driver who became a rival on track, but now he gets to work with him through the next couple of years after Aston Martin signed a contract extension with the Spaniard earlier this year.

READ MORE: Adrian Newey’s success at Aston Martin will depend on key partnership

Newey has been impressed by the facilities after being given a factory tour by Stroll, while Aston Martin ambassador Pedro de la Rosa is adamant that the team now has the chance to win races.

It will be an exciting partnership when the new regulations come into effect in 2026, as a lot of teams will need to navigate a tricky set of technical rules while also making their cars work in harmony with the brand new power units.