Ex-McLaren colleague claims Adrian Newey will go to Ferrari

Adrian Newey could overcome barriers which previously stopped him going to Ferrari, a former colleague has claimed.

Jo Ramirez is a veteran of the F1 paddock who worked at McLaren, alongside Newey, for four years.

He insists that a prior reluctance to move permanently to Italy would no longer prohibit Newey from joining Ferrari.

“I don't think he will retire,” Ramirez told Mundo Deportivo.

“I see him in Ferrari, because any job you do in F1 successfully must be done in Ferrari too.

“Ferrari is the biggest team in F1 and why not, if you have the opportunity... and it's not about money, because he already has much more money than he can spend in his life.

“The difficulty could be if he has to go to live in Italy, because he is happy in Britain.

“But today the rules have changed, you can work remotely and two or three days a week you will have your private plane to take you and bring you back. He could do that.

“I haven't talked to him about it, although I did meet him at the historic Monaco GP and we chatted, although he doesn't say anything about it.

“He will continue, but we don't know where.”

Newey designed two title-winning cars for Mika Hakkinen at McLaren when he worked alongside Ramirez.

He joined Red Bull in 2005 where he cemented his reputation as the greatest F1 car designer ever, creating the machines with Sebastian Vettel then Max Verstappen dominated with.

But Newey will exit Red Bull at the start of 2025 creating a scramble for his signature.

Former team McLaren are not in the hunt, according to CEO Zak Brown, but Ferrari and Aston Martin are reportedly interested.

“He's a great guy, who truly knows what a race car needs to go fast,” Ramirez said.

“And he is another like Ayrton Senna, very demanding. That if he wants to do something, he does it.

“But he is also someone who if you say: 'look, we could do this', he listens to you!

“Adrian always listens to you and if the suggestion is good, he uses it, and if not, he doesn't use it. But at least he listens.

“He's a good guy. He walks through the paddock alone, almost anonymously, humble. He is a genius.”