Adrian Newey’s grand demands led to the collapse of his negotiations with Ferrari, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport.
The Italian newspaper claims the departing Red Bull technical genius not only wanted $10 million a year, but was demanding that Ferrari agree to sign around 20 of his chosen engineers.
That leaves Aston Martin as now the overwhelming favourite to secure Newey’s signature, with a reported $100 million deal over four years still on the table.
McLaren is also still linked with Newey.
"I worked with Adrian for a long time," Aston Martin technical director Dan Fallows said in Hungary on Friday.
"He’s a great asset to any team. Who knows where he’s going to end up."
However, it appears that Newey will definitely not be going to Mercedes. "No," team boss Toto Wolff confirmed to Osterreich newspaper ahead of the Hungarian GP.
"We are sticking together as a team - in good times and in bad," he added. "I know what I have in James Allison and his management team."
Wolff is, though, keeping a 2025 race seat open for now for Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, even if he admits the Dutchman is unlikely to make the leap just yet.
Red Bull advisor Dr Helmut Marko thinks it’s "completely normal" that Wolff is chasing Verstappen.
"Max is a guarantee of success," he told Sport1. "He’s the only driver who makes a difference.
"He would have won races in a Ferrari, a Mercedes or a McLaren this season," Marko added. "If we didn’t already have him under contract, we would try to get him too."