Adrian Newey is on the verge of determining his future in Formula 1.
Germany's Sport1 speculates that Newey might announce his next steps as early as this week, following indications that Ferrari might no longer be in contention to bring on the renowned Red Bull engineer.
Reports in Italy hint at Ferrari's team principal Frederic Vasseur's concerns that Newey's role, potentially as a mere advisor, could prompt departures among the current technical team.
According to Corriere della Sera, Ferrari's technical chief Enrico Cardile is rumored to be considering a switch to Aston Martin.
Mercedes has emerged as a likely destination for Newey, with reports from Auto Bild suggesting that Toto Wolff and the team's co-owners could offer him shares in the team.
However, former Formula 1 winner Ralf Schumacher, personally familiar with Newey, doubts the fit due to the political dynamics within Mercedes.
"Newey is not a politician," he remarked.
"He just wants to work in peace. Once there is no harmony in a team, he no longer has any desire to be there."
Should Newey decide to join Mercedes, it might also influence Max Verstappen to consider a similar move.
"The (Newey) breakup and the current power struggle would definitely make me think about moving if I were him," Schumacher suggested.
"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."
The dynamics within Red Bull, particularly between Verstappen and team principal Christian Horner, were reportedly strained over the Monaco weekend, as per F1-insider.com.
"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."
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