Ferrari ready to stake £30m on guru Newey

Link-up with Hamilton is Maranello outfit’s bid to recover glory days

- Matt Majendie

THERE are two stark choices open to Adrian Newey.

One is to follow the lead of most of his fellow 65-year-olds and look towards retirement. The other is to answer Ferrari's tempting call, with an initial third choice Aston Martin a possible switch to already appearing to have been dismissed.

The timing of Newey's Red Bull exit would suggest he has one final throw of the dice in Formula One.

Red Bull could have held him to a lengthy gardening leave which would have seen him unable to join a team until the 2027 season. Instead, they have effectively allowed him to finish his pet project - the RB17 hypercarand then head wherever he chooses come the spring of next year.

It is thought he met Ferrari team chief Fred Vasseur in London last week while plotting his Red Bull extrication.

The timing is ripe for him to have a completely free stab at the new regulations for 2026, which effectively are a major shake-up of both chassis and engines.

The line from Red Bull is that there has been no talk of where Newey might head next, but he makes no secret of being a motor-racing nerd, a speed thrillseeker on the track in his free time.