09 May 2023 , 15:06
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Mercedes reportedly launched a sensational bid to poach Adrian Newey away from their bitter Red Bull rivals before the designer committed his future to his current team.
Newey joined Red Bull in 2006 having built an unimpeachable reputation as one of the top Formula 1 car designers out there. He played a key role in helping Christian Horner turn the team into the dominant force in the sport that it is today.
The 64-year-old's contract was due to expire at the end of this season, sparking reported interest from Ferrari. But it was confirmed ahead of the Miami Grand Prix weekend that Newey had put pen to paper on an extension with his current team.
But it seems Ferrari were not the only ones working on a bid to snatch Newey away from Red Bull. According to F1 Insider, Mercedes made an attempt to lure him away from their biggest F1 rivals and help them to reverse their declining fortunes.
The Silver Arrows won eight constructors' titles in a row but were slow to adapt to the new car regulations which came into force in 2022. They have been playing catch up ever since and remain some way off the performance levels of defending champions Red Bull.
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The report claims Mercedes wanted to bring in Newey to help them to solve their car performance woes. But he is said to have thanked them for their offer and declined, before signing on again with Red Bull.
Speaking to F1 Insider, team adviser Helmut Marko mocked Mercedes chief Toto Wolff over the attempt. "Mr. Wolff may not seem to have complete confidence in his own people fix the problems with their car," said the 80-year-old Austrian.
Toto Wolff was mocked by Helmut Marko for Mercedes' attempts to sign Adrian Newey (HOCH ZWEI/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images)Red Bull team principal Horner recently said of Newey: "Adrian has been such a fundamental part since almost the beginning. He covers a lot of a lot of areas and, to have the depth of his experience and knowledge to draw upon, and the way he works with the young guys, it's great.
"He's just as motivated as he always been. Obviously, he has a great interest in what's going on in Powertrains, and Red Bull Advanced Technology as well. So, he covers the three pillars of the campus in Milton Keynes."
"I think Pierre on the chassis side does a great job. We have got Ben Hodgkinson on Powertrains doing a fantastic job and Rob Gray on the Advanced Technology side.
"It's a people business, and that enables him [Newey] to apply his expertise. He doesn't have to be there every single day on one particular topic. We're able to use the breadth of his experience across the group."