1992 world champion Nigel Mansell thinks Ferrari was "short sighted" to not chase Adrian Newey more stridently.
Newey, who Mansell suspects will get more "energy" for his calling as a Formula 1 designer by leaving Red Bull, ultimately opted to move to Aston Martin from 2025.
But specialist media sources in Italy note that negotiations only broke down between Newey and Maranello because of the 65-year-old’s reportedly excessive demands for influence and money.
"I think the fact that he’s gone to Aston Martin is so wise because he won’t get caught up in the politics of Ferrari and the hype that goes with that," Mansell, who raced for Ferrari in 1989 and 1990, told Top Offshore Sportsbooks.
"I think Ferrari should be licking their wounds a little bit because they should have got him, but all credit to Aston Martin," the 71-year-old added.
However, Mansell said he was not surprised that Newey was not also more tempted to link up with the Maranello based team - especially with Lewis Hamilton joining from 2025 as well.
"No, not really," he said. "As soon as I heard that Ferrari were baulking at possibly the wage bill that Adrian wanted. I think that was short sighted of them.
"They lost an opportunity because whoever gets Adrian Newey is almost assured of having a fantastic few years," Mansell continued. "I think Aston Martin have done something very special in securing his services.
"I think what he can do at Aston Martin could be his biggest achievement to come because I think he can turn that team around very quickly. And Red Bull, they’ve already just demonstrated that without him, they’ve lost their dominance."
Another former F1 driver, Ralf Schumacher - whose brother Michael won five consecutive world championships in red - agrees that Red Bull will continue to struggle without Newey.
"I have the feeling, perhaps wrongly, that Pierre Wache is not up to the task," he told Sky Deutschland. "He is certainly a brilliant engineer, but he lacks the instinct that helped Newey solve problems quickly and effectively.
"He seems to be struggling to establish the optimal connection between driver and car. And if Max Verstappen leaves the team, that will be the last link, because in Singapore we saw him single-handedly achieve a result again."