Newey revealed the reason why he did not sign for Ferrari and chose Aston Martin: “For me it was very clear, it was natural”

A few days ago, in the Monza paddock, when that was taken for granted Adrian Newey did not sign for Ferrari and that he will wear the green of Aston Martin, part of the Italian press showed MD their disappointment in the fact that the Maranello team could not sign the best engineer of all time in F1. They don’t understand it. “It is not understood that with the signing of Hamilton they also did not tie the arrival of Newey. “It is an incomplete work,” said one of the reporters.

And a few weeks later, In the official announcement of the signing of Adrian Newey for Aston Martin, at the presentation press conference, the F1 designer himself spoke about his decision.

His explanation was extensive. It highlights the possibility of being as a shareholder of the brandsomething new to him and no one else offered him. To this we must add the great persuasive power of Lawrence Take a Walkhis overwhelming determination to make the Silverstone team a winner, Newey’s desire to find a new challenge to energize him and, above all, the great impression and how much he understood when he first saw Aston Martin’s impressive and gigantic new facilities.

“Why did I choose Aston Martin? By Lawrence! (laughs). That was an easy one,” Adrian answered. “Seriously, I felt that I needed a new challenge. And at the end of April I decided that I wanted to do something different. I spent a lot of time with Mandy, my wife, discussing what I should do from then on. .’We ‘re going to sail around the world, we do something different…’, we said we took our time to decide. the desire to be a motorsports engineer, and everything else is a bonus. I can’t imagine how lucky I am to have been a part of all the events that followed. But you have to be true to yourself, you have to stay fresh and I needed a new challenge to do that.”argument.

“I took my time. Lawrence (Stroll) and I have known each other for years and we often run into each other in the gym at Middle East races. “I announced that I was leaving my previous team (Red Bull) and I was flattered that so many teams approached me to sign me, but Lawrence’s passion, commitment and enthusiasm were very persuasive.”he added.

“If you go back 20 years, what we used to call crew chiefs were the owners: Frank Williams, Ron Dennis, etc. And in this new era, he’s the only team owner who’s active on the team. And it was a different feeling to see her with him. It’s like old school. And the opportunity to become a shareholder and partner is something that has never been offered to me. So it’s a bit different, a different role and one that I’m looking forward to developing. And I think it became a natural choice,” he argues.

Later, the press present asked him again about his ‘no’ to Ferrari. “I am flattered by the number of teams that reached out and had conversations with me. Although I did not include them among all those who approached me. For me it was a very clear and natural choice because of everything mentioned in this press. conference.”

WHY DIDN’T HE CHOOSE HIS PASSION IN BOATS

“I decided to leave Red Bull for a weekend in April. I had no idea what would happen next.”. I wanted to keep my mind blank, stop and enjoy a short break. And I hope to get on the ship (his great passion) at some point and that spark would come to me that would tell me which direction to go. My wife is part of this debate. “He’s going to go a little crazy if he’s suddenly at home,” he explains of his decision-making process.

“I think the end of June was when I felt it. Being involved as a designer has been my ambition since I was 10 years old. I was lucky to get it, and I enjoyed it, I wouldn’t say 100% of my time, but 90% of the days of my career. “I still enjoy the challenge of adding performance to the car and that remains my main motivation, what gets me up every morning.”he declared.

“And what’s incredible about a technical sport like F1, so to speak, is the combination of machine and man. You have an immediate feedback comment on what you’re doing (from the driver)… There’s a lot friends with whom I keep in touch from the university of aeronautical engineering they don’t have those comments working at Rolls-Royce and others I chose even though I didn’t know it at the time . So yes, I’m still interested in the America’s Cup (sailing), but if you have to work between machine and man, it’s better to continue with F1.”he added.

YOUR VISIT TO THE ASTON MARTIN FACTORY IN JUNE

One of the key moments in his process to make his final decision was the secret visit Adrian Newey made with Lawrence Stroll to Aston Martin’s new headquarters, its massive technological campus at Silverstone, where the tunnel is still being made simulator.

“I love to see what Lawrence has built here. These facilities are incredible. It’s not that easy to build a new factory and make it hot, with good solutions and have good communication for everyone of team departments. I’ve seen new F1 team buildings that don’t live up to that role and this one feels good, with the right size and all the necessary facilities. I’m looking forward to getting started, meeting everyone and working with them. And let’s see how it goes,” said Adrian.

“The building is amazing and I feel really good about it. It’s a display of Lawrence’s vision and commitment and where he wants the team to go. “I don’t know how much it will all cost, but I know it won’t be cheap.”he expressed between laughs. “I’m in charge of finding ways for Lawrence to spend, always within the budget limit,” he added with a laugh. “And we know that beautiful things don’t come cheap. The combination of seeing all the facilities and how well thought out the building is is a very visual display. If I had to describe Lawrence in one sentence I would say he has total belief, he has direction and “He is willing to bet all his chips on the green,” he expressed next to a Stroll who referred to that secret visit last June.

“It’s incredible. It’s hard to understand or explain these 3 amazing buildings if you don’t visit them. Part of our tools to be a champion. We cannot become champions with the old tool. We had to build it to show our ambition and our intention and win again. And I think the visit is key to making the decision,” he explained. Lawrence.

I WANT A NEW CHALLENGE AFTER LEAVING RED BULL

“I don’t know where the rumor about 3 days a week came from,” he said when asked about his less involvement in the day-to-day work at Red Bull.

“I’m not here to talk about Red Bull, but it is well known that since 2014 we were in a position where we don’t have a very competitive power unit and there is no light at the end of the tunnel. That’s when I thought it was necessary I wanted to get involved in something else and the Valkyrie was recognized,” he said in reference to the Hypercar car he dedicated himself to for Aston Martin when Red Bull and the English firm had a business relationship.

“When we had Honda (as a Red Bull driver) we were in a very different position and then I was fully involved in the F1 side. In 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2016B and then 2018. Now it is a very mature team and I feel that when we pass the big rule change of 2022 thanks to the regulation change, I can step back and retire a little bit because 2023 is an evolution of 2022 and something else in 2024. But It’s something different, a new challenge. This is a new stimulus. And I always do what I think is necessary for the good of the team,” he concluded.