Former Ferrari driver Nigel Mansell believes that Scuderia made a significant mistake by not signing Adrian Newey. When the master designer announced his departure from Red Bull, many experts anticipated his move to Maranello. However, things took a different turn: Newey will be joining Aston Martin next year. “Ferrari really missed an opportunity,” Mansell commented.
Crash.net had a conversation with Nigel Mansell, the 1992 world champion and a two-year Ferrari driver, about the ins and outs of Formula 1. The Englishman shared his views on the historic transfer of Adrian Newey; the aerodynamics guru from Red Bull bypassed Ferrari and Mercedes last week to join Aston Martin. Mansell finds this development remarkable.
Ferrari’s Missed Opportunity
“Ferrari, I love them,” he began his story. “Really, I love them. But they missed an opportunity. If you bring in Adrian Newey, you can almost assume that you are going to have a few fantastic years. I think Aston Martin has done something very special by securing him. Like all other sports fans worldwide, I am very curious to see how quickly this will unfold.”
A Breath of Fresh Air
“I think people also underestimate how dissatisfied Adrian (Newey) was at Red Bull in recent years,” Mansell continued. “And yet he has done fantastic work. Now that he is going to Aston Martin, back to a British team, I think he will get some fresh energy and can set new goals for himself. That is terrifying for the competition, because he will undoubtedly do great work again.”
“As long as he feels comfortable, which should certainly be possible at Aston Martin, I think we are going to see something special,” Mansell concluded. “Keep a close eye on this.” Adrian Newey was linked to Ferrari a lot in the first half of the season. The opportunity to work with Lewis Hamilton at the Scuderia was tempting, but a collaboration did not materialize.
