Jeremy Clarkson drops major hint over Adrian Newey's future in awkward grid walk moment

Jeremy Clarkson has offered the biggest indication yet that Adrian Newey could be set to reject any move to Ferrari and instead join a British-based Formula 1 team. The former Top Gear and Grand Tour presenter, who was present at the British Grand Prix on Sunday, suggested that he had some inside information as to where the departing Red Bull chief technical officer could be heading from 2025 onwards.

In a conversation with a Dutch reporter on the track before the race, Clarkson claimed that Newey, 65, was looking to buy a property in Oxfordshire, England, as opposed to the Italian town of Maranello, where Ferrari's factory is based.

"Do you want an exclusive? I know Adrian Newey is house hunting in Oxfordshire, not Maranello," Clarkson told the journalist, who appeared to be surprised and thanked him for the scoop.

The exchange quickly turned awkward when Newey could be seen in the video footage standing behind the two men while they talked. Newey was wearing a pair of team-branded headphones and focused on his work, so it remains unknown if he overheard the conversation.

It comes after widespread reports suggested Newey was closing in on a deal to sign with Aston Martin, having been shown around their team factory in Silverstone. However, Williams have also been credited with an interest in snapping up the veteran aerodynamics guru and their base in Wantage, Oxford, is much closer than the Northamptonshire-based Silverstone.

Clarkson and Newey have remained friends since attending Repton public school together in Derbyshire and are often seen chatting in the F1 paddock. That offers some clue as to why Clarkson felt he had the inside track when discussing Newey's future plans after he leaves Red Bull.

Back in May, he suggested that Newey could choose to set sail around the world and leave F1 behind, but speculation linking him to Aston Martin refuses to die down.

He said: “Ever since he announced he would be leaving his job as chief engineer at Red Bull Racing, everyone has been wondering which team Adrian Newey might join. It’s a big question. It was a Newey-designed car that took Nigel Mansell to the world championship in 1992 and Alain Prost in 1993.

“In the late Nineties, McLaren dominated using Newey’s cars, so it was obvious when he switched to Red Bull in 2006 what would happen next. And indeed it did. The simple fact of the matter is this. If Adrian Newey designed your car, there’s a very good chance you’ll win. So where will he go next?

“Some say he will join Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari. Others reckon he’ll end up with Max Verstappen at Mercedes. But there’s another possibility. Late last year, Newey started work on a new sailing boat. And as he’s now 65 years old, who knows? He might just decide to bugger off and spend the autumn of his years sailing round the world on that.”