Happy at Red Bull, Adrian Newey does not plan to join Ferrari
Satisfied with his situation at Red Bull, where he feels fully involved in the team, Adrian Newey does not plan to leave the Austrian team to join Ferrari as some might hope, particularly in Italy. On Sky, the British engineer also discussed the yellow flag controversy at Interlagos and stated that he understands the request for clarification made by Ferrari.
Triple world champion constructor in title, the Red Bull team owes part of its success to Adrian Newey, master creator of racing thoroughbreds. However, after taking on the challenge, improbable in the eyes of some, a few years ago of elevating the Austrian team to the status of a benchmark in the premier category of motorsport, some wonder if, intoxicated by success, the British engineer might not be tempted to take on a new challenge, notably by contributing to the revival of a Scuderia Ferrari struggling to regain the technical benchmark status it held just a few years ago.
When asked by Sky about the possibility of joining Ferrari one day, Adrian Newey assures that, for now, he feels good where he is: « It wouldn’t be very professional of me to talk about the offers I’ve received in the past or today. Ferrari is the national team in Italy, it’s a great team, and I also drive a Ferrari when I race purely for pleasure. I often compete in Italy, and it’s always a pleasure. It’s a wonderful country, but that being said, I’ve been with Red Bull since almost the beginning of their adventure in Formula 1. I felt very involved with Christian Horner in building the team and, consequently, I feel a great responsibility towards the team. Sorry, but I’m happy where I am… »
The English engineer, an amateur driver in his spare time, also took the opportunity to address the controversy surrounding the supposed overtaking under yellow flag by Sebastian Vettel on Jean-Eric Vergne at Interlagos: « It was very clear that the stewards were waving the green flag. Sebastian [Vettel] was absolutely certain he did not overtake under a yellow flag, knowing full well that such an action would cost him the championship and, therefore, he was very attentive throughout the race. […] We felt that everything was in order, but some are sticking to their positions until all evidence is presented. Fortunately, we had the onboard camera footage from Sebastian where the green flag can be clearly seen waving. »
Adrian Newey, however, understands Ferrari’s approach, which had sent a letter to the FIA requesting clarification: « If Ferrari thought there was evidence that Vettel had overtaken under a yellow flag, they were right to ask the question, as anyone would have done in their place. Perhaps it is unfortunate that it was done so publicly. »
