09 June 2023 , 17:58
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Adrian Newey was twice tempted to join Ferrari as the Red Bull stalwart reflected on the Scuderia's most recent bid to poach him.
Newey is considered to be one of the greatest Formula 1 car designers ever. He has been the architect behind more than a dozen title-winning machines.
Having made his name with March and Leyton House in the late 1980s, he joined Williams and then McLaren where he enjoyed championship success. Since 2006, his expertise has benefitted Red Bull and yielded five more constructors' titles – and counting.
Earlier this season, it was confirmed that Newey had signed a new deal with Red Bull. That was in response to reported attempts by Ferrari to convince him to join the Italians.
Regardless of whether that new Red Bull deal came, though, Newey says he was unlikely to ever accept an approach by the Scuderia. If he was ever going to move to Maranello, he told Sky Italy, he would have done it 30 years ago – a hint that Red Bull will remain his home until he eventually retires.
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He said: "I've had discussions with Ferrari in the past. I've been very tempted because it's such a legendary brand. The time that was most tempting would have been around 1993 and 1997, when I moved from Williams to McLaren.
"That was a very tough choice. At the time, my kids were young and I didn't know how they would settle in an Italian school. If I was to move to a team that was based in Italy, I would have to move to Italy with the family.
Newey has been a key ally for Christian Horner (Getty Images)"Now at Red Bull, I have been involved with more or less since the start, moving teams is always a huge workload to re-establish yourself and get the working practices, so honestly, if I was 20 years younger, maybe."
Red Bull chief Christian Horner recently heaped praise upon his long-time ally. He said: "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.
"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."