Huge Adrian Newey deal ‘finalised’ as Ferrari discover Red Bull ‘trump card’ – round-up
Adrian Newey will leave Red Bull in the first quarter of 2025
With the end of the summer break almost in sight, here are the stories making the F1 news headlines to kick off the last non-race week!
As quickly as it rolled around, the mandatory fortnight shutdown of the F1 factories comes to an end later this week, with only seven days to go until the start of race week for the Dutch Grand Prix! Catch up on all the latest F1 news…
Former F1 driver suggests Adrian Newey Aston Martin details
Robert Doornbos, the former F1 driver turned broadcaster with Viaplay, has revealed what he believes to be the terms of Adrian Newey’s new deal with Aston Martin.
Following on from last week’s report from Italy’s AutoSprint, Doornboss took to social media to state the facts as he sees them – an official confirmation is yet to be made by the Silverstone-based squad.
“Newey was Aston Martin’s top priority and the deal is now finalised,” Doornbos said.
“Set to earn $100 million over three years, twice his Red Bull salary, Newey will have major input in technical decisions.
“Aston Martin, with its state-of-the-art factory completed last year, likely attracted him with its advanced technology, including a new wind tunnel.
“The official announcement is expected in September.”
Read more – Big $100m Adrian Newey deal now ‘finalised’ with ‘major input’ granted – report
Fred Vasseur believes Ferrari operating outside of ‘comfort zone’ in 2024
Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur believes the Scuderia has succeeded in a key area over the past year – namely being braver to take chances and bigger risks in areas it hasn’t in the past.
“We became more aggressive,” he told Auto Motor und Sport of the last 12 months.
Vasseur pointed to a rival team as having proven itself as a source of inspiration for this change of ethos.
“For me, this new basic attitude had more impact than anything else,” he said.
“That means daring to step out of your comfort zone. Whether it’s the amount of fuel you need for the race, the weight, the cooling, or the car’s set-up. In my opinion, that was one of Red Bull’s biggest trump cards.”
Read more – Ferrari issue response after ‘big’ Red Bull ‘trump card’ discovered
Mercedes made ‘zeropod’ admission after 2024 concept change yields understanding
Having introduced a daring ‘zero-sidepod’ concept with its 2022 machine, a concept it persevered with in 2023 – to limited success – Mercedes gave up on the idea for 2024.
Having made huge strides forward this season as the Brackley-based squad has got to grips with the ground-effect regulations, Andrew Shovlin believes Mercedes could – armed with today’s knowledge – now have been able to make the ‘zeropod’ work.
“Yes, in the sense that if any team knew what they knew now and were able to jump back to 2021 and have another go at it,” he told select media, including PlanetF1.com, in Belgium.
“They would have the fastest car because every team has had to go through a significant learning phase.
“In that sense, we could have got those side pods to work.”
Read more – Mercedes zero-pod regret? How flawed design concept could have worked out
Does Max Verstappen’s radio attitude frustrate Red Bull?
Having shown his more temperamental side over team radio in Hungary, Red Bull’s chief engineer Paul Monaghan has shed some light on how Max Verstappen’s communication style is received within the garage.
“Perhaps, I think Max sets a pretty high bar for himself as well as us,” Monaghan said, in a joint interview including PlanetF1.com.
“Last year and at races this year, he’s reached a level the others have thus far yet to match. And as such, if he feels that we are not attaining his high bar, we can expect those kinds of comments.”
Read more – Behind the scenes: How Red Bull view Max Verstappen’s blunt radio messages
FIA confirms F1 2026 rule change
After introducing a prescribed parts supply from BBS at the beginning of the current regulation cycle to coincide with the switch to 18-inch wheels, the FIA has opened up a new area in which the teams can make their own decisions when it comes to suppliers.
The change isn’t expected to make any material difference in terms of development costs or competitiveness but will allow commercial opportunities for the teams.
Read more – Another F1 2026 shake-up on the way as FIA confirm latest rule change
