Jdn1327 wrote: ↑01 May 2024, 05:15
Shakeman wrote: ↑30 Apr 2024, 10:54
PapayaFan481 wrote: ↑28 Apr 2024, 17:29
All true, but if she was also Newey's PA and he has now lost her services, that may be at least part of the picture.
If this PA had decided to leave for another position in another organisation he would also lose her services. Losing a PA isn't going to rock the boat to such an extent that a senior member of staff decides to leave too. Overactive libidos of CEOs also don't generally cause senior staff to leave organisations.
No one knows what reason if any Newey has for deciding to leave RB or if he has decided to leave at all. Until Newey is directly quoted I'd take these stories with a huge cup of salt.
Let's pretend Newey has confirmed he's leaving but has not said why...
I can remember an interview with him many years ago where he said, I'm paraphrasing, he enjoyed the RB setup, it was run like a privateer team obviously a well funded one, with the underdog ethos and none of the corporate baggage. What if after Mateschitz's death RB has imported a load of corporate baggage?
My favoured pet theory is it's much more likely than not that the fiercely competitive Newey is missing a more hands on role of designing cars and is seeking to find a more intellectually stimulating role in F1 car development elsewhere. Maybe he even wants to test himself against his World Champion RB colleagues? I could see him being right up for that. RB have said themselves how side-lined Newey is due to the cost cap, I just think that role doesn't fit his character which is well known to be ultra competitive, I'm pretty sure it was Coulthard who once described him as the most competitive person he'd ever met.
When you decide to leave an employer it's not normally for a single reason, there maybe a final straw but you tend to have a multiplicity of reasons to leave.
As much as I'd love to see Newey design a car for Lewis, I think Aston is more early RB-esque, wealthy owner, privateer ethos etc etc. If he's leaving he'll go to Aston is my guess. I hope I'm wrong.
Well maybe Aston Martin won't be the right choice for him. Lawrence Stroll is more a businessman than an F1 team owner. He'll make AM profitable and then sell it. Newey is looking long term. Ferrari are reportedly offering him 100million euros over 4yrs...thats for a designer...80% of drivers don't earn that salary. Some serious flex from Ferrari.
Whether the allegations against Horner are false or not. The damage has been done already. Once Marko and the Verstappens leaves I feel imo that Redbull might start going the way of Mercedes. This is just my opinion though.
IF Newey brings the kind of success Red Bull has enjoyed, to Aston Martin, there is no reason to sell Aston Martin. Currently, every F1 team is profitable under cost cap. A successful team would be attracting millions of sponsorship money. If a brand like AM succeeds, it's definitely going to rake in a billion atleast through an extended period. Newey isn't going to be working for another 20 years. May be 5 to 7 years more. It's a good stint if he chooses AM. He can work in UK with pretty much similar culture.
Going to Ferrari means, the expectations would be that he builds a winner for 2025, even before he starts.
Plus, the added pressure from Management and Media. To top it all, the vastly different culture and linguistic environment. In his prime, it was a good challenge to undertake, but at the winter of his career, it's a huge gamble. Lack of success can make him look like a criminal as was Prost.
