Lewis Hamilton gives ‘honest’ opinion after Ferrari F1 miss out on Adrian Newey

Lewis Hamilton insists he is not disappointed that Ferrari missed out on signing Adrian Newey and was keen to point out that his own championship victories have come without the F1 design guru in his corner.

Red Bull’s Newey will join Aston Martin next year, it was announced on Tuesday, after 19 years with Christian Horner’s outfit. Newey has been responsible for Max Verstappen’s title-winning cars of the last three years, with the Dutchman also leading this year’s championship.

Hamilton, throughout his time at McLaren and Mercedes, has never worked with the storied British designer and stated in May it would be a “privilege” to work with Newey when he moves to Ferrari next year.

However, asked ahead of this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix whether he was disappointed that Newey will not be joining the Scuderia, Hamilton replied: “Honestly, no.

“While I have said before that it would be an honour to work with Adrian, I have been part of two championship-winning teams that didn’t have Adrian.

“I think any team would have been happy to have him. At the end of the day he had to do what is right for him.

“It doesn’t change my goal or my focus for my next move. I still believe 100 per cent that there is lots we can do.”

Hamilton won his first world title at McLaren in 2008 and then won six championships over the course of seven years with Mercedes between 2014 and 2020. Newey was at Red Bull for all of those triumphs.

Max Verstappen, meanwhile, admitted he would be open to reuniting with Newey at Aston Martin in the future.

“That is something maybe for the future that I think about, but not now,” Verstappen said.

“It (Newey’s departure) is fine, Adrian and I have a very good understanding. I sent him a message after the news came out so I am happy for him.

“I always said I would have loved him to stay but you cannot overturn these things. I am just excited for people seeking new challenges.

“I know Lawrence (Stroll) is pushing flat out to make it a success at Aston Martin.”

Hamilton is currently sixth in the world championship and trails Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz in fifth place by 20 points. He has eight races left in Mercedes colours before his career-concluding move to Ferrari in 2025.