Newey Lands Lucrative Deal With Aston Martin Over Ferrari
Sep.11 - The Formula 1 landscape shifted in a big way over the weekend.
After months of speculation, in-demand Chief Technology Officer Adrian Newey has signed a massive deal to join the Aston Martin team this season. The agreement is for five years and will pay him over $35 million annually. That means he will now make more money than 18 drivers on the circuit.
While Newey's departure from Red Bull was expected, his deal with Aston Martin was a major surprise. Rumors had been swirling that the former CTO would join Ferrari, but negotiations broke down, opening the door for Aston Martin to swoop in. The failure to acquire the design legend is the latest of several attempts to bring him in.
The addition of Newey makes an already impressive Aston Martin tech team even better. He will be joining Enrico Cardile, who enjoyed years of success with Ferrari before jumping ship in the offseason. The chassis expert was also one of the most prominent names for switching teams in the offseason and will take over the role of CTO.
Newey will officially join his new team in the first quarter of 2025, giving him a few months to help implement his unique designs.
Newey'sTalks Broke Down Over Role with Team
The team had been pushing hard to add Newey for a long time. They saw the design legend as a way to elevate themselves to the top of the league, and it sounded like a deal was finally about to be done. Unfortunately, talks did not go as well as many believed.
"There were discussions [with Newey],” Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur confirmed in an interview with L’Equipe. “He probably had a different idea of what I thought for him. Maybe we will find common ground one day. It is not an individual that changes the outcome of a team, the group is always stronger than the individual.”
Reports are that Newey and Ferrari struggled to agree on his role with the new team. While details are still scarce on the disagreement, it is clear the issue cost Ferrari a chance to capture one of the hottest names in the league.
What Does the Future Hold for Ferrari?
The question now is where Ferrari will go from here. Not only have they lost out on Newey, but also a potential in-house option in Cardile. Losing out on both not only hurts their technical team, but also serves as a black mark for Ferrari boss Vasseur and the front office.
While the public failure is a black eye for the team, the more significant concern is how the team will adjust. Losing out on Newey hurts, but losing Cardile could have an even more substantial impact. They are losing one of the top chassis experts in the league and a potential future CTO.
There is also the issue of Aston Martin, which could be in for a bounce-back season with its new tech leaders. The team is over 300 points behind Ferrari this year, but the money it is spending shows it is committed to closing that gap going forward.
Ferrari Looks to Finish 2024 Season Strong
While the team's future remains uncertain, they still have a chance to finish the 2024 season strong. Their win at the Italian Grand Prix shows that Leclerc and the team can compete with the league’s top two teams. The driver’s ability to hold on for the win despite not having the fastest car leads to many bets rolling in on the Ferrari team.
Leclerc’s win keeps them in third place and within striking distance of McLaren and Red Bull, which has led to some bettors backing the team, hoping for a long-shot title. The best Canadian betting sites have Ferrari with the third-best odds, though a significant gap exists between them and the top two teams.
The question for bettors now is how the loss of Cardile will affect the team over the final stretch of the season. After accepting the job, the former chassis chief stepped down from his post, meaning he will not be with the team for the remainder of the season.
With eight races remaining, the team still has time to make a run.
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That Adrian wanted to also have a share in the team suggests a deeper level of commitment.
I wonder who the second WDC driver will be? Max? And what'll happen to Knuckles? Will he be a tire-man on the pit crew in '25? Plus, Alonso still has the potential to get another Crown. We'll see.