Charles Leclerc admits that adding Adrian Newey to Ferrari’s already “incredible” team would be “amazing”, the Monegasque echoing the view of his future Scuderia teammate Lewis Hamilton.
Newey will leave Red Bull in early 2025 after a remarkable 19-year tenure with the Milton Keynes-based outfit, during which F1’s most successful designer contributed his outstanding talent to every single one of the team’s 117 wins and six Constructors’ titles.
But Newey has opted for a change of scenery, although where he heads next, whether it’s to a rival team or into a well-deserved retirement is the subject of swirling speculation.
However, it’s no secret that Ferrari is going all out in its efforts to lure the 65-year-old engineer to Maranello, even as a part-time consultant.
On Thursday in Miami, an enthusiastic Lewis Hamilton acknowledged that Newey would be an “amazing addition” to Ferrari’s force. A view shared by Leclerc.
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“I would obviously be very happy,” said the Monegasque.
“I think Adrian [Newey] is one of those guys in the paddock that you hope to be working with one day in your career.
“We have an incredible team in Ferrari at the moment and in the last seven to eight months, we are the team that have progressed the most, however adding Adrian to a team like this would be amazing.”
While it’s been suggested that Newey’s departure from Red Bull will significantly weaken the bulls, Leclerc was unsure of the level of impact the designer’s exit would have on the team's performance, emphasizing the complexity of Formula 1 dynamics beyond individual personnel changes.
“It was interesting news and one of those [stories] that makes a lot of noise once it’s out as I had it everywhere on my social media,” Leclerc added.
“But yeah, will it weaken Red Bull? I mean obviously every team, there are lots of people involved but some figures of a team make more difference than others and I think Adrian is definitely one of them as he has shown it with his path that every time, he’s been in a team they’ve been very successful.
So yeah, it’s difficult for me to comment because I don’t know how exactly how it works within the team but obviously Adrian being on the market of the engineers is definitely someone to watch and someone that everybody in the paddock will want in their team.”
Leclerc suggested that the speculation surrounding Newey and Ferrari is a testament to the hard work done by Scuderia boss Fred Vasseur since his arrival at Maranello at the beginning of last year.
“I think we’re in a very good moment for the team and we are in a good spiral,” he said.
“Fred has always shared with me his medium to the long-term vision of the team. I have shared with him what I thought also was the right thing and it’s going really well.
“I’m really happy with how it goes and I think we are in a good place to attract the best people in the world.
“However, I have said it already but we are a really good team already and in the last seven to eight months we’ve done incredible progress.
“But whatever and whoever can come to make it even stronger is super important, and Adrian is one of those guys that can make a difference.”
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