Lewis Hamilton has called on his new Ferrari employers to thrash out a deal to sign Adrian Newey, putting him No1 on his Formula One wishlist.
Newey announced on Thursday that he was ending his near two-decade association with Red Bull at the beginning of 2025. And Ferrari are believed to be his likely next destination if he chooses to stay in the sport.
Hamilton will join the Maranello outfit at the end of this season and said: "If I was to do a list of people I would love to work with, he would absolutely be at the top of it. Any team would be fortunate to have the opportunity to work with him.
"He's got such a great story, track record, just done such an amazing job through his career. I think he'd be an amazing addition. Ferrari have a great team already, but it would be a privilege to work with him."
Hamilton has never worked with the designer before, but made his debut for McLaren in 2007 in a car that was effectively an evolution of a previous Newey creation.
And the seven-time world champion added: "Racing against a team he has been so heavily a part of over the years has been a massive challenge, but any team would be fortunate to have the opportunity to work with him."
Newey's departure is a massive blow for Red Bull and team principal Christian Horner, with rumours also circulating that Max Verstappen could quit the team in the future.
But asked ahead of Sunday's Miami Grand Prix whether the 65-year-old's exit would affect his future, the Dutchman said: "Not at the moment.
"I would have preferred him to stay, for sure, because you can always rely on his experience and, just as a person, he is a great guy to chat to and relate to.
"He is very bright and would talk to the driver and interpret that into the car, in terms he would try to imagine himself driving.
"But I also really trust that the technical team we have outside of Adrian is really strong. They have shown that for the last few years with how competitive the car is.
"From the outside, it looks very dramatic but, if you know what is happening inside the team, it is not as dramatic as it seems."
