Adrian Newey is believed to have spoken with Ferrari this week after being released from his Red Bull contract early, as revealed by the world championship-winning team on Wednesday.

A move to Italy would put F1’s most successful designer into collaboration with Lewis Hamilton, who will join the Scuderia from Mercedes next year.

The transaction has yet to be completed, but well-informed sources say Ferrari wants Newey, 65, to serve as their’super consultant’. He presently earns £15 million per year and might quadruple that in the potential swap.

It is envisaged that he will begin in time to play a key role in the creation of the next generation of Ferrari vehicles prior to a major overhaul of the laws in 2026.

Italy’s Gazzetta dello Sport said that Newey spoke with top Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur in London on Tuesday, which Mail Sport confirmed. We can also confirm that several significant Formula One individuals, including Red Bull managing director Oliver Mintzlaff, were in London this week.

Red Bull has acknowledged the imminent departure of F1’s most successful designer, Adrian Newey.
Team chief Christian Horner (seen with wife Geri Halliwell) will have to deal without the mastermind behind Red Bull’s design.
Newey, a famed F1 designer, may take his talents to Ferrari after his leave.
Newey’s departure is a clear setback for Red Bull and controversial team principal Christian Horner, who took Newey from McLaren to Red Bull nearly two decades ago. They have since won seven driver championships in two stints together, with Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen.

Newey will continue to attend Red Bull races this season, including one in Miami this weekend. He is scheduled to fly there in Horner’s plane today.

Newey will still work on his beloved RB17 supercar project before leaving the company next spring.

Red Bull insist Newey’s departure is not directly linked to the sex scandal that has engulfed the team since allegations of coercive behaviour were made against Horner by a female employee in February, but driven by growing resentment at how he has been less than fully credited for the team’s success.

He was on the brink of resigning last year, too, but instead accepted an improved offer.

The scandal – which has seen Horner, 50, cleared in an internal investigation, subject to an ongoing appeal – stirred the pot further. It is understood Newey felt Horner was grabbing too much of the limelight and that credit for his own input was being unevenly shared with his French design colleague, Pierre Wache.

Hamilton, 39, will benefit greatly from Newey’s forthcoming availability, as he pursues a record eighth title, this time in red. Newey is the best technical genius in Formula One history, having won championships with Williams and McLaren before joining Red Bull. In total, the nerdish genius is responsible for an eye-watering 25 driver and constructor crowns.

We understand Newey will either join Ferrari (the most likely scenario) or retire. There is no other team he would consider joining.

“I’ve wanted to be a fast car designer since I was a kid,” Newey remarked. ‘My dream was to be a Formula One engineer, and I’ve been fortunate enough to make that dream come true. For nearly two decades, it has been my great honor to play a major role in Red Bull Racing’s evolution from plucky newcomer to multiple title-winning team.

‘However, I believe now is an appropriate time to pass the torch to others and pursue new challenges for myself. In the meantime, the last stages of RB17 development have begun, thus my focus for the duration of my time with the Team will be on that.

Horner paid tribute to ‘genuine legend’ and ‘friend’ Newey, as the world champions revealed his departure.
The Red Bull chief, who has won seven world championships with Newey, paid respect to the retiring veteran.
Newey could potentially be ready to join Lewis Hamilton (pictured) at Ferrari in his drive to win an eighth World Championship.
I’d like to thank all of the fantastic people I’ve worked with at Red Bull over the last 18 years for their talent, dedication, and hard work. It has been a tremendous privilege, and I am certain that the engineering Team is well prepared for the work that will go into the final evolution of the car during the four-year duration of this regulation set.

‘On a personal note, I’d like to thank the shareholders, the late Dietrich Mateschitz, Mark Mateschitz, and Chalerm Yoovidhya, for their steadfast support during my time at Red Bull, as well as Christian, who has not only been my business partner but also a friend to our respective families. Also, thank you to Oliver Mintzlaff for his leadership and Eddie Jordan, my close friend and manager.’

‘All of our greatest moments from the past 20 years have come with Adrian’s hand on the technical tiller,’ Horner added. His vision and brilliance have helped us win 13 titles in 20 seasons. His exceptional ability to think beyond F1 and bring broader inspiration to bear on the design of grand prix cars, his remarkable talent for embracing change and identifying the most rewarding areas of the rules to focus on, and his unwavering desire to win have helped Red Bull Racing become a greater force than I believe even the late Dietrich Mateschitz could have imagined.

‘More than that, the previous 19 years with Adrian have been quite enjoyable. For me, Adrian was already a superstar designer when he joined Red Bull. Two decades and thirteen championships later, he is remembered as a true legend. He is also my friend, and I shall be eternally grateful to him for everything he contributed to our collaboration. The legacy he leaves behind will reverberate across Milton Keynes, and the RB17 Track Car will be a fitting tribute to his time with us.’