Vasseur remains coy over Newey to Ferrari rumours

Frederic Vasseur has refused to comment on speculation linking Adrian Newey with a possible switch to Ferrari. 

Long-serving Red Bull Chief Technical Officer Newey is to depart after 19 years at the end of 2024, with his future uncertain as rival teams try to swoop for the designer widely regarded as the greatest in F1 history.

Ferrari has tried, and failed, to lure Newey to Italy on multiple occasions, with the last attempt coming in 2014 after Newey was disillusioned with the start Red Bull's power unit supplier Renault had made to the new regulations.

Aston Martin is also known to have made a big money offer to sign Newey, with RacingNews365 also exclusively revealing that Newey's former team Williams could also be a destination as he ends his F1 career. 

Newey is not believed to have anything signed or any agreements in place, but will be free to join a new team, if he wishes, from April 2025 after his Red Bull departure. 

Ferrari is the team Newey is most widely expected to join, having previously expressed regret that he had never worked for the Italian squad - but current boss Vasseur remained tight-lipped. 

"I have no comment to make on this," Vasseur told media including RacingNews365 in his first public media session after the news of Newey's departure was announced. 

"Because I know that you will be able to write pages based on the two words that I would say."

Vasseur's management style

Vasseur has earned quiet plaudits for the main in which he has managed to sharpen Ferrari and establish it as the second best team behind Ferrari. 

Until McLaren's Lando Norris won the Miami GP, Ferrari was the only team to beat Red Bull in a grand prix since the start of 2023, and broke free of Mercedes over the winter of 2023 to latch onto the rear of Red Bull. 

Vasseur has a reputation as a canny operator, known for his light-hearted but serious nature, but believes it is for others to judge his management style. 

"But I think you have to ask that question to the people at the company, if the management is friendly or not," he observed.

"I don't want to lose energy for the wrong topics, as we have a lot to do internally.

"We have to improve, we have to upgrade, we have to develop the car and it is a huge amount of work on the table. 

"So I don't want to lose my energy or time to fight with my [fellow team principals], that is not my approach."