Newey poised to decide next move in F1 - report

Adrian Newey is poised to make a decision about his next career move.

Germany’s Sport1 believes it could even be as early as this week, in the wake of reports that Ferrari may actually have pulled out of the running to secure the departing Red Bull technical guru.

Italian sources suggest Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur may have become spooked that Newey’s arrival - perhaps only as an advisor - could have led existing technical figures to consider leaving.

Indeed, Corriere della Sera newspaper reports that Ferrari’s technical director Enrico Cardile is already linked with a potential move to Aston Martin.

A new potential frontrunner to secure Newey could be Mercedes - with Auto Bild in Germany reporting that Toto Wolff and his fellow co-owners might even be offering the 65-year-old Briton shares in the team.

However, former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher thinks Newey - who he knows well - is not a big fan of the political setup at Mercedes.

"Newey is not a politician," he said. "He just wants to work in peace. Once there is no harmony in a team, he no longer has any desire to be there."

However, if Newey really does go to Mercedes, that could inspire Max Verstappen to follow suit.

"The (Newey) breakup and the current power struggle would definitely make me think about moving if I were him," Schumacher said.

"I think the idea of starting up a team like Mercedes probably attracts him. He wants to show he is world champion not only because he has the best car, but because he is the best driver."

F1-insider.com even thinks Verstappen and Red Bull team boss Christian Horner had a tense weekend in Monaco in terms of their personal relationship.

"Everything is very good when you’re winning," said Schumacher. "But what happens next? Christian Horner still has a lot of pressure on him. It’s a dangerous situation.

"Red Bull is really at high risk of slipping into mediocrity at the moment."