Adrian Newey says he’s “very flattered” Lewis Hamilton wants him to join Ferrari next year, but insists he hasn’t decided what he will do after leaving Red Bull.
The 65-year-old will be a free agent from next year having spent the last 19 years at Red Bull. He said he’d been considering whether to leave the team for “a little while now – I guess over the winter a little bit and then as events have unfolded this year.”
“I’m in the very lucky position where I don’t need to work to live,” he told Sky. “I work because I enjoy it and I just feel now is a good time to to step back and take a bit of a break and take stock of life and go traveling a bit.
“Maybe at some point, I don’t know, when, I’ll be standing in the shower and say, ‘right this is going to be the next adventure’. But right now there is no plan.”
Newey has been linked to a move to Ferrari, who have tried to sign him on several occasions in the past. Lewis Hamilton, who will join Ferrari next year, said yesterday he hoped Newey would join him at Maranello.
“It’s very kind of Lewis to say that,” said Newey. “I’m very flattered. But at the moment it’s just take a little bit of a break and see what happens next. ”
The timing of Newey’s departure from Red Bull leaves him with the opportunity to join another F1 team in time to produce a car for the new regulations which will arrive in 2026. He admitted he has relished such challenges in the past.
“I do enjoy regulation changes, for sure. This current crop of regulations was the biggest regulation change we’ve had since 1983 when flat bottom cars came in.
“I really enjoyed the challenge of all the research and detail design of that car. The two subsequent cars are evolutions of that car and next year’s car will be the third evolution of that car.
“So it’s been a great series, one that surprised me just how much there is in these cars, actually. When I first looked at the regulations I wasn’t so sure, but it’s been fun.”
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