Sky F1 commentator Damon Hill believes a return to McLaren could be the most fitting destination for legendary F1 designer Adrian Newey.
Resounding news emerged earlier this week that Newey, a man who has been at the forefront of Red Bull’s success in Formula 1 for nearly two decades, had informed the outfit’s management that he would be departing the team at the end of the current season.
Since, speculation has been rife regarding his next move, with Aston Martin, which has reportedly offered a lucrative financial package to the Briton, and a sensational switch to Ferrari being mentioned.
However, Hill sees a different path for Newey. The 1996 F1 World Champion suggests that reuniting with McLaren, where Newey designed championship-winning cars for Mika Hakkinen in the late 1990s, could be a mutually beneficial proposition.
Hill cites McLaren's recent progress as a reason for Newey's potential interest. The team has shown significant improvement, establishing itself in the past two seasons as a consistent top midfield contender and recently challenging for race wins.
A return to McLaren could offer Newey the opportunity to recapture past glory and further propel the team towards championship aspirations.
“I just wonder, what would happen if Adrian was looking around and was thinking about McLaren as a team to go to,” Hill said on Sky Sports F1.
“They’ve already shown that they’re going in the right direction, they’re definitely a team on the make.”
Whether Newey chooses to heed Hill's suggestion remains to be seen, but the a McLaren-Newey partnership would certainly further boost team papaya’s prospects.
Regarding a move to Aston Martin, veteran F1 journalist Peter Windsor claims that Newey has already rejected an enticing offer from Team Silverstone’s owner Lawrence Stroll.
“They all want to have Adrian Newey. That’s a point that needs to be made,” commented Windsor on YouTube. “Ferrari, Mercedes, Aston Martin would all want Newey, for sure.
“My understanding is that he’s already been offered a lot of money by Aramco, and Aston. And he has turned it down. That is my understanding of what the Aston situation is.
“It doesn’t surprise me. He doesn’t need the money. Money isn’t a motivation for him. It’s racing. It’s whether he enjoys it, whether it fits with whatever he wants to do, other things in life.
“Throw a billion pounds at him now? It won’t make a lot of difference. It might have 10 years ago, or eight years ago. Now? I don’t think so.
“My understanding is that he’s already rejected that. So I’d be surprised if he goes to Aston. Of course, it is still possible.”
While Mercedes is an option that has been less talked about, Windsor suggested that the Brackley squad is likely monitoring the situation very closely and might be ready to pounce, along with Ferrari.
“The next one is Mercedes. They will offer him a lot of money, I’d imagine,” added Windsor.
“He’ll think Mercedes or Ferrari ‘which one do I want to go to?’
“They are two big, political teams. They have won races recently, he knows he could do a good job recently. My gut feeling is that he’d rather go to Ferrari, of those two.
“He probably has a lot of faith in Fred Vasseur. But it brings with it a lot of drama. Politics, pressure…”
Red Bull has responded to this week’s rumor that Newey wants out, a spokesman for the team stating that they were "unaware of him joining any other team".
It's important to note that top technical personnel like Newey often face "gardening leave" clauses in their contracts. This essentially restricts them from working for a competitor for a predetermined period after leaving their current team.
Therefore, Newey's immediate availability for another F1 outfit remains uncertain. However, at 65, there's always the possibility that he might choose to opt for a comfortable retirement and cherry-pick in the future non-F1 projects to keep his creative juices flowing.
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