Hamilton, Leclerc unfazed by designer Newey's Ferrari snub

Future teammates Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc have said they are not disappointed by Adrian Newey’s decision to sign for Aston Martin over Ferrari next year.

Often described as a design genius, Newey is among the most sought-after engineers in Formula 1.

He announced his departure from Red Bull in May, leading to months of speculation over his next move.

Newey’s manager, Eddie Jordan, revealed he held extensive talks with Ferrari about a move to Maranello but ultimately chose Aston Martin, with his decision made public on Tuesday before he starts work at the team in March next year.

Hamilton is set to move from Mercedes to Ferrari next year, but said Newey’s decision not to do the same would not change his optimism around his switch.

Asked whether he was disappointed by Newey’s decision, Hamilton said: “Honestly, no.

“I feel like, while I’ve mentioned before that it would be an honour to work with Adrian, I have been privileged to work with two championship-winning teams that didn’t have Adrian.

“I think any team probably would have been happy to have had him. But at the end of the day he had to do what was best for him. It doesn’t change anything for me.

“It doesn’t change my goal, or my focus with the next move. So I still believe 100 percent that there’s lots we can do there.”

Leclerc, who has been at Ferrari since 2019, believes the vision of team principal Fred Vasseur will lead the team to title success, with or without Newey.

“There are no disappointments [about Newey’s decision],” he added. “It’s not like we haven’t tried or spoken to Adrian.

“I know that there were talks and he made his decision. I respect his decision.

“At the end as Ferrari, we have always considered more the group than the individual. Of course Adrian has an incredible [record] and has done amazing things.

“But we have an amazing group and I have no doubts that going forward we have an extremely strong team to come back at the top. I’m really happy with the structure.

“Obviously, it’s Fred’s job to try and put the team in the best possible place to try and win races and I 200 percent trust Fred and I’m completely onboard with his vision.

“It’s a continuous process to try and improve Ferrari over the years and we are in the middle of this process. But I am super happy with the way he sees things and the things he does.”