Decorated drivers open up on prospect of working with legendary Formula One designer

Legendary Formula 1 designer Adrian Newey will leave Red Bull in the first quarter of 2025 after winning 13 world championships with the team.

The 65-year-old joined in 2006 and has proven to be critical to the Austrian team's success, mainly since the ground effect regulations were introduced in 2022. 

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton has yet to work directly with Newey after the designer left McLaren for Red Bull in 2006, a year before being promoted to the McLaren Formula 1 team.

His early McLarens were based on Newey's work and yielded superb success, taking the championship in 2008, only Hamilton's second season in Formula 1.

The 39-year-old is switching to Ferrari for next season after a difficult period at Mercedes, suffering a winless drought since December 2021.

Hamilton said he would "very much" like to see Newey join him in Italy via F1.com: “I mean, Adrian’s known for… he’s got such a great history, track record, and has obviously just done an amazing job through his career, in engaging with teams and the knowledge he has.

“I think he would be an amazing addition. I think they’ve [Ferrari] already got a great team; they’re already making huge progress, strides forward — their car’s quicker this year. But yeah, it would be a privilege to work with him.”

Red Bull has been the team to beat in Formula 1 since 2022 and has provided the platform for Max Verstappen to clinch his second and third world titles, adding to his first in 2021.

Hamilton was asked whether he felt the pecking order of the 20 cars in F1 would change without Newey's expertise at Red Bull.

“From my perspective, when I joined McLaren, I think it was an evolution of his car... I think I got there just after he left,” he said. “That car had evolved from a concept that he had worked on, so I felt privileged that I’d had the chance to touch something that he’d worked on.

“Racing against the team that he’s been so heavily a part of through the years has been a massive challenge, but I think we just always need to remember that there’s a lot of people in the background, and there’s not one key person… it’s not one person, it’s a whole team of people who do the job."

Similarly, double-world champion Fernando Alonso has yet to collaborate with Newey and feels it's positive to see the legendary designer linked with Aston Martin.

The Spaniard said via F1.com: “[For him] to be linked with Aston Martin is already a good sign and good news for us, that a legend of the sport and Aston Martin are linked somehow.

“But we are also very happy with our technical department, and let’s see what he decides and if he keeps working or not in the paddock. The most important thing for us is to concentrate on the new regulations, especially in 2026.”