Marc Priestley shares what demand Adrian Newey made that Ferrari were ‘not happy’ with

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It now looks set that Adrian Newey will make the switch to Aston Martin after months of speculation over his life post-Red Bull.

The legendary F1 car designer announced he would be leaving Red Bull after 18 years in May, with Ferrari speculated as the prime target given they recently signed seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton.

Adrian Newey has come close to joining Ferrari three times in his F1 career, but the fourth occasion seemed like it could have paid off. After talks with team principal Frederic Vasseur, it emerged that the 65-year-old’s demands did not align with the expectations of the Scuderia.

This caused a dramatic turnaround in events, whereby the billionaire owner of Aston Martin Lawrence Stroll swooped in to take his services after a secret dinner.

Now it appears Newey will move to Aston Martin and former F1 mechanic Marc Priestley has shared another rumour as to why the Ferrari switch ultimately did not come off when speaking on his YouTube channel.

Marc Priestley shares rumour over why Adrian Newey rejected Ferrari

Details recently emerged over Newey’s salary demands to Ferrari being incredibly high, with him set to out-earn 15 drivers next year including Lando Norris.

Prestley also explained that it was not just about the money, but also the influence Newey wanted to have over the entire team around him at Maranello.

“It’s bigger than just the money. Whether it’s bringing in his own team of engineers thats another rumour Ferrari was not happy with,” said Priestley.

“If you sign Adrian Newey, you might also need to sign up to 20 other engineers Adrian wants in his team to make the whole thing work.”

Adrian Newey’s task to turn Aston Martin into World Champions

Stroll is likely bringing in Newey, with an announcement set for early September, in their bid to become a World Championship-winning team from 2026.

There has been heavy investment into their Silverstone facilities over the last few years, which has put them ahead of the rest of the field.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Aston Martin F1 Team from team principal to lineage

1996 World Champion Damon Hill believes Newey is the perfect fit for Aston Martin due to the number of other projects away from F1 that could also be attractive on the road car side.

Aston Martin’s backroom staff is also slowly becoming a force to be reckoned with, with ex-Mercedes engine guru Andy Cowell hired alongside former Ferrari engineer Enrico Cardile.