Eddie Jordan has hit back at rumours suggesting his friend Adrian Newey may already have signed up to join Ferrari in 2025 following a short ’gardening leave’ break from Formula 1.
In the official statement announcing that Newey is soon to depart as Red Bull’s chief technology officer, it was mentioned that former F1 team owner Jordan, 76, is now serving as the Briton’s manager.
He would therefore know if 65-year-old Newey has already signed a Ferrari contract.
"It appears that Newey has already signed a contract with Ferrari," former Red Bull driver Robert Doornbos told Ziggo Sport. "I think he will continue in F1 as soon as he can.
Jack Plooij, a Dutch journalist, chimed in: "I believe it’s a preliminary contract. Not yet the final contract, but a statement of intent."
Plooij speculates that Jordan may have helped negotiate a surprisingly short period of gardening leave for Newey, perhaps in exchange for staying quiet about what he knows about the Christian Horner scandal.
"Jordan must have used some preconditions against Horner," he said. "’If you do this, I’m going to say this’. Jordan operates right on the edge and sometimes way over it."
But on his own podcast, Formula For Success, hosted together with former F1 driver David Coulthard, Jordan categorically denied that Newey has already signed up at Ferrari.
"It’s really very wrong to be so blatant about (Newey) joining a certain team," he said. "I’m speaking as someone who should know, and I’m not giving any information away.
"But I can give my absolute life on that," Jordan insisted. "There is no inclination to go in any particular way in the moment.
"We are looking at the opportunities and we are letting people come to talk to us. There will be talks, and there is going to be ongoing talks, because we have yet to decide what Adrian himself wants to do."