Half the grid has “no point” signing Adrian Newey, states F1 reporter Martin Brundle

F1 pundit Martin Brundle recently explained why most teams won't be able to extract Adrian Newey's talent even if they hire him. He believes teams must be financially and technologically rich for the Brit to show his magic.

In May 2024, Red Bull officially announced that Adrian Newey would be leaving their side after 19 years. The aero wizard enjoyed massive success with the team, his cars winning the Austrian team six constructors' and seven drivers' championships. Even when Red Bull was a relatively small team, Newey made use of every single resource possible and played a pivotal role in uplifting the team by creating some of the best F1 cars for them.

Since his departure was confirmed, many have speculated about Newey's next step in his career. Names such as Ferrari, Aston Martin and even Mercedes have come up as the Brit's next stop. However, speaking on Beyond The Grid podcast, Brundle reckons that not every team would benefit from hiring Adrian Newey. He says that the designer would need top-notch facilities to extract performances from the car.

"You’ve got to have a lot of money and a lot of resource or there’s no point having Adrian Newey. If you sit him in an office, but you don’t have the goods around him and the funds to use his ideas, then there’s no point," Brundle said. (38:38)

Brundle later acknowledged that teams such as Ferrari, Aston Martin, Mercedes and McLaren would try to bring Newey to their camp.

"But clearly Mercedes, Aston Martin, McLaren, Ferrari will be looking and trying to get [Newey] somehow," he later added.

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Adrian Newey appreciates Lewis Hamilton's eagerness over Ferrari union

Adrian Newey recently responded to Lewis Hamilton's statement about him potentially joining Ferrari.

At a press conference during the 2024 F1 Miami GP, Lewis Hamilton shared that he would be honored to work with Newey if he joined Ferrari. Responding to this, Newey told Sky Sports that though he appreciated the seven-time world champion's eagerness, he wanted to take a break and and was not in a hurry to make a decision about his future.

"It's very kind of Lewis to say that. I'm very flattered. At the moment, it's just take a bit of a break and see what happens next," Newey said.

Ever since Newey joined F1 in 1988 with March, he has devoted his entire life to the sport, working with some of the greatest teams like Williams, McLaren and Red Bull. His cars have won a total of 12 constructors' and 13 drivers' F1 championships.