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.
Shakeman, I moved your comment to the silly season thread as my question isn’t really relative to the Horner investigation and more fitting here.
Don’t you think that Lance being the second driver at AM for the foreseeable future (and surely would never leave if Newey joined), and basically no possibility of being fired, weighs in heavily to a decision to go to AM? I’m certainly all for it because I agree it seems a better fit than Ferrari (tho no one would blame him for going to Ferrari), as AM is all the things as you describe exactly. But there’s other stuff that constellates this decision from Newey.
At the end of the day Newey would be hanging his hat on Fred at AM, and Fred would need to be there for (imo) 3 years before Newey would be 100% the center of the car’s design — I don’t think Newey actually lands anywhere till late 2026 (I subscribe to technical gardening leave theories) and plays clean up till 2027. He’d want the best two drivers driving his car in 3-4 years (2027-28). Imo both Ham and Fred will be so far past their prime in 3-4 years, they won’t best showcase his work. Who is going to showcase his 2027-28 baby? Lance? No. Lewis? I think too far past his prime. Charles? Certainly could but it’s doubtful Charles will even be at Ferrari in 2027 as Ferrari has gone balls deep with Lewis.
So in this sense I don’t get his move to Aston or Ferrari as each has their own real concerns in practical life (uprooting to Italy), drivers (age, prime, lack of talent (LS), infighting), politics (Ferrari is anything but privateer and a media rats nest, the owners son is the driver), and technical need of the team (Aston seems in more need technically than Ferrari, and a better fit practically), for a guy his age to be walking into. It’s why I think retirement makes the most sense of those 3 options.
Merc is doubtful to me right now because they don’t have a driver secured yet (I don’t see king George as a good showcase driver in 3-4 years) and would need to get Max there to even make Merc an option. I think Carlos S could be a showcase driver but who knows where he will be in 2027-28. Same with Charles.
All of it just seems too risky no matter which team is chosen for a guy his age and wealth to bother.
Just curious your thoughts past the Horner case re Newey if you have any as you seem very objective.
Watching F1 since 1986.