7-Time F1 Champ Lewis Hamilton Says It Would Be 'Privilege' to Work With Adrian Newey
Lewis Hamilton says Red Bull design chief Adrian Newey “would absolutely be at the top” of a list of people he would be keen to work with in Formula 1.
Red Bull Racing announced on Wednesday that design legend Newey, the architect of multiple title-winning cars throughout his decades in Formula 1 and 13 constructors and drivers' championships at Red Bull, will leave the team in early 2025.
Newey will be free to join a rival team, should such a scenario arise, with sufficient time to influence the direction of development for the 2026 car, which will be designed under new regulations.
Meanwhile, Hamilton will end his 12-year Mercedes affiliation to join Ferrari in 2025 while Newey has been linked with the fabled marque.
“If I was to do a list of people I would like to work with he would absolutely be at the top of it,” said Hamilton. “Adrian’s got such a great history, track record, and he’s obviously just done an amazing job throughout his career in engaging with teams and the knowledge that 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 and strides forward – their car is quicker this year - but yeah it would be a privilege to work with him.”
Hamilton was part of McLaren’s junior squad when Newey was the team’s technical director, but only stepped up to a race seat in 2007, just over a year after Newey left the outfit for Red Bull.
“Just from my perspective when I joined McLaren I think it was an evolution of his car,” said Hamilton. “I think I got there just after he left. That car had evolved from a concept that he had worked on. So I felt privileged that I had the chance to touch something he worked on.”
World Champion Max Verstappen, contracted to Red Bull Racing through 2028, has previously spoken of his desire for the key pillars of the team’s success to remain in place.
The exit of Newey will result in the removal of one of those cornerstones, but Verstappen was calm about the situation.
“Of course Adrian from when he started at Red Bull, he was incredibly important for the success that they had,” said Verstappen. “I think over time, his role has changed a bit and a lot of people don’t understand what he was actually doing. I don’t say he wasn’t doing anything but his role has evolved.
“A lot of good people came into the team that have strengthened that whole department.
“Of course I would have preferred him to stay, for sure, because you can always rely on his experience and just as a person he is a great guy to chat to and relate to. Because he is very bright, very smart but he would also talk to the driver and interpret that into the car, in terms of he would try to imagine himself driving.
“But I also really trust that the technical team we have outside of Adrian is very, very strong. They have basically shown that with the last few years with how competitive the car is. From the outside, it looks very dramatic. But I think if you know what is happening inside the team it is not as dramatic as it seems.”
