MIAMI
\nLewis Hamilton added fuel to the rumours over the future of departing Red Bull designer Adrian Newey saying on Thursday that he would be an \u201camazing addition\u201d for his future team Ferrari.
\nRed Bull confirmed the 65-year-old Newey\u2019s impending exit in early 2025, after 19 years with the team.
\nMedia reports have suggested that Ferrari would be among the favourites to snap up Newey, who is regarded as the greatest designer in the sport\u2019s history. Hamilton, who will join Ferrari from Mercedes at the end of this season, told reporters at the Miami Grand Prix that he would like to see Newey join Ferrari.
\n\u201cVery much…Adrian\u2019s got such a great history, track record, he\u2019s just done an amazing job through his career in engaging with teams and the knowledge that he has,\u201d he said. \u201cI think he would be an amazing addition,\u201d he added.
\nHamilton declined to discuss if the prospect of Newey joining the Scuderia had been part of his contract negotiations.
\nBut he said he would be thrilled to work personally with Newey.
\n\u201cIf I was to do a list of people that I\u2019d love to work with, he would absolutely be at the top there,\u201d he said.
\nBut Hamilton pushed back a little against the idea that Newey\u2019s exit would lead to a sudden decline for Red Bull.
\n\u201cRacing against the team that he has been so heavily a part of for years has been a massive challenge but I think we need to remember that there are a lot of people in the background and it is not one person, it\u2019s a whole team who do the job,
\n\u201cI don\u2019t anticipate Red Bull not continuing to build great cars moving forwards but any team would be fortunate to have the opportunity to work with him,\u201d he added.
\nRed Bull team have won six constructors\u2019 titles and seven drivers\u2019 titles, split between Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen, with Newey-designed cars to date.
\nThey are on course to do the double again in 2024, with Dutch driver Verstappen the dominant force in the sport.
\nNewey, expected to be in Miami for this weekend\u2019s race, has also worked with championship-winning teams at Williams and McLaren in his long career.
\nVerstappen\u2019s Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez said he was sure that Newey would have a significant impact wherever he ends up in the sport.
\n\u201cAdrian, with the experience he has, he has contributed a lot to the Red Bull philosophy so I assume he will cause an immediate impact wherever he goes or whatever he does,\u201d the Mexican said.
\n\u201cHe is a very clever guy and a very hard worker. Working with Adrian, he is much more than a designer, he can influence even strategies, set-up, he could have that influence on a race weekend.
\n\u201cTo have him around on race weekends was great. He is a very strong individual and wherever he goes he will cause an immediate impact. But it is a whole group of people that he will require to have around him as well,\u201d he added.
\nPerez, whose long-term future at Red Bull remains uncertain, said that he was sure the team would be able to cope with the departure of the influential designer.
\n\u201cIt is obviously not ideal, he has been tremendous to our team, to our organisation, and he is also a very good friend of mine from all the time we\u2019ve spent together.
\n\u201cBut, at the end of the day, there are times in life when you spend 20 years at Red Bull I think he probably wants to do something else and that is fair.
\n\u201cI think Red Bull is in a great place and it has a very strong organisation,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cYou\u2019ve seen in the past at these big teams, big names when they leave they will always exist, it isn\u2019t down to one single individual. It is a whole organisation and I think Christian [Horner] has done a great job in preparing for the next generation of what is going to happen at Red Bull,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
MIAMI Lewis Hamilton added fuel to the rumours over the future of departing Red Bull designer Adrian Newey saying on Thursday that he would be an \u201camazing addition\u201d for his future team Ferrari. Red Bull confirmed the 65-year-old Newey\u2019s impending exit in early 2025, after 19 years with the team. Media reports have suggested that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-404537","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n