Adrian Newey admits Lewis Hamilton wooing is flattering as he prepares to...

Adrian Newey on Friday night admitted he is flattered that Lewis Hamilton is trying to woo him to Ferrari.

Hamilton is leaving Mercedes for the Scuderia next season and Newey, Formula One’s leading designer, is on the market after announcing this week that he will be leaving Red Bull before his contract was due to expire.

Newey, speaking for the first time since news of his impending departure was made public, responded by saying: ‘It was very kind of Lewis to say that, but at the moment I’m just taking a bit of a break and we’ll see what happens next.’

Mail Sport understands Ferrari have definitely spoken to Newey about moving there, but have yet to close the deal.

Newey’s exit is a further bump for Red Bull following the scandal that engulfed team principal Christian Horner over allegedly sending coercive texts to a female colleague. He was cleared in an internal investigation, a verdict that is now subject to an ongoing appeal.

‘I’ve been thinking about this a little while now – over the winter and then as events unfolded this year,’ explained Newey, who earns £15million.

‘I’m in the very lucky position where I don’t need to work to live. I work because I enjoy it and felt now was a good time to step back and take stock of life. Maybe at some point, I’ll be standing in the shower and say, “Right, this is going to be the next adventure.”

Even if there was an offer of 150million, money is not going to be the differentiator. I am happy with what I am earning already. If I knew I was driving for fifth or sixth, I’d get quite grumpy.

‘Everyone knows it is about performance and Toto (Wolff, the Mercedes team principal) knows that.’

Verstappen, 26, took pole for Saturday’s sprint race despite a less than perfect lap. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc starts second and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez third.

Hamilton was only 12th best, team-mate George Russell 11th. So much for Mercedes’ upgrades! Again.