Ferrari is attempting to take advantage of the disruption within the Red Bull camp to prize four engineers from the champions, according to a report in the Italian media.
Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur has adopted an aggressive recruitment drive since being appointed ahead of the previous season as he bids to return the team to the top.
The Frenchman has been successful in acquiring Mercedes Performance Director Loic Serra, which is rumoured to have played a role in Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari move.
Now, it is touted that Vasseur has set his sights on securing personnel from Red Bull, who have remained the pre-eminent force in the sport at the start of this season.
Gazzetta Dello Sport reports that Ferrari is targeting three members who work alongside Red Bull Technical Director Pierre Wache, who co-operates with Adrian Newey.
The Italian outlet has revealed the names to be aerodynamicist Alessandro Germani, Head of Performance Ben Waterhouse and Aero Trackside Leader David Morgan.
Meanwhile, the high-profile name of Enrico Balbo, the Italian engineer who had worked at Mercedes and is now Head of Aerodynamics at Red Bull, has also been linked.
While Red Bull has dominated proceedings with its evolved RB20 car in 2024, the headlines surrounding the Austrian outfit have been fixated on the behind-the-scenes.
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner was the probe of an investigation from the parent company amid allegations from a female colleague of inappropriate behaviour.
Despite Horner being exonerated of the claims, the friction within the Red Bull camp saw Max Verstappen’s father, Jos, suggest that his presence had become untenable.
Ferrari was speculated to have failed with a bid to sign Wache last term, while it has been well-documented the interest the Maranello-based squad maintains in Newey.
But the Italian outlet Corriere has stated that Newey has become “worn down” by the “climate of tension” at Red Bull in recent weeks and Ferrari could now capitalise.
It is proposed that Ferrari would be prepared to present the Briton, who has 25 F1 titles to his name, with the chance to work on road and endurance cars, plus boats.
The prospect of a more “flexible structure” alongside F1 commitments could be used as an enticing bargaining chip to sign F1’s most successful-ever car designer.
Last weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix saw Ferrari chairman John Elkann present at the track and he was spotted in a meeting with Red Bull CEO Oliver Mintzlaff.
However, it is believed that the pair’s topic of discussion extended to F1’s next Concorde Agreement, the financial and commercial regulations the teams agree upon.
