Formula 1 'insiders' expect Adrian Newey to team up with Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari - when he walks away from Red Bull.
Newey, who has worked for Red Bull since 2006, has told colleagues that he plans to leave. However, that desire has not been officially communicated to bosses. A Red Bull spokesperson told Mirror Sport: "Adrian is contracted until at least the end of 2025 and we are unaware of him joining any other team."
But according to Sky Sports News' F1 correspondent Craig Slater, the view from inside the Aston Martin camp is that Newey is expected to leave his current team and look to usurp them with Hamilton when he moves from Mercedes next year.
There is no guarantee that he will, of course. Newey is 65 and already has a role which relieves him of the day-to-day work on the team's car, and also allows him to travel to races when he wants. But if he does decide to take on another project, there is likely to be no shortage of suitors.
Aston Martin owner Lawrence Stroll made Newey a mega-money offer only last month but, according to Slater, the Silverstone based squad is expecting Newey to head to Italy.
He said on Sky: "There's been speculation that Ferrari have tried to sign him, and also that Aston Martin were hoping to perhaps entice him to work there - that would certainly be an easier move in logistical terms for Newey because they are based at Silverstone.
"Ferrari have been trying for over 20 years to sign Adrian Newey and have been unsuccessful in that. But some insiders within Aston Martin have been explaining to me that they think if he goes somewhere else, it would be Ferrari potentially. So let's see."
Catch all the action from Formula One on Sky Sports and get exclusive access to races, qualifying and much more for every Grand Prix. From Max Verstappen to Lewis Hamilton, you won't miss a lap on Sky Sports.
Newey has worked at Red Bull throughout Hamilton's entire career so they have never worked together. But the seven-time F1 champion has already made it clear just how much respect he has for the Red Bull designer and his brilliance.
Hamilton said in 2022: "Adrian Newey doesn't generally build bad cars. My first [McLaren] championship car [in 2007] was an evolution of his car. He did a thesis [at the University of Southampton] on ground-effect cars. It's no surprise, he's one of the only ones who draws these cars by hand."
Asked more recently about the prospect of Newey joining him at Ferrari, he said: "I know he's a huge part of [Red Bull], of course, but I know there are so many engineers in the background that are a huge part of developing the team and the car that they have and it's not down to one person.
"It's not my decision [to sign him for Ferrari], but I'm competing against him this year at the moment, so I can't really talk about next year just yet."