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• Red Bull designer Newey 'flattered' by Hamilton interest in Ferrari link-up

  Adrian Newey acknowledged Lewis Hamilton's interest in working with him at Ferrari came as a flattering compliment for the outgoing Red Bull designer.

  Hamilton will complete his switch to Ferrari next season as the Italian team managed to convince the seven-time world champion to leave Mercedes.

  Newey will also be on the move early next year and is free to join a rival team ahead of the 2026 season.

  Hamilton said working with Newey would be a "privilege", with one of the best designers in Formula One history at the top of his list of people to work with.

  Those comments did not go unnoticed by Newey, who spoke to Sky Sports about a potential link-up with Hamilton ahead of the Miami Grand Prix on Sunday.

  "F1 is all-consuming. I've been at it for a long time now," Newey said of his decision to leave Red Bull after joining the team in 2006.

  "2021 was a really busy year because of the tight battle with Mercedes, through the championship and at the same time, putting all the research into the RB18 [the 2022 car].

  "There comes a point where I just felt, as Forrest Gump said, 'I'm feeling a little bit tired'.

  "It's very kind of Lewis to say that. I'm very flattered. At the moment, it's just take a bit of a break and see what happens next."

  Newey's decision to part ways with Red Bull was announced on Wednesday, though the acclaimed designer says it has been on his mind for a while.

  "A little while now. I guess over the winter a little bit," Newey said when asked about his intentions to depart.

  "Then as events have unfolded this year, I thought, I'm in very lucky position where I don't need to work to live. I work because I enjoy it.

  "I just felt now is a good time to step back a bit, take a break and take stock of life.

  "Then maybe at some point I will stand in the shower and say 'right, this is going to be the next adventure'.

  "But right now, there is no plan."

• Verstappen shocked to be on pole for Miami sprint

  Formula One world champion Max Verstappen was surprised to claim pole position for Saturday's sprint race at the Miami Grand Prix.

  Verstappen was 0.108 seconds faster than Ferrari's Charles Leclerc in Friday's qualifying session.

  That is despite the Dutchman believing his drive had not gone well at all.

  "To be honest, it felt really terrible," said Verstappen, who holds a 25-point lead at the top of the F1 drivers' championship.

  "Maybe that last session was just incredibly difficult to get the tyres to work. I didn't really improve a lot on the soft but somehow we were first.

  "Practice felt really nice, it felt like the car was in a really good window but in qualifying it didn’t feel like that anymore. I was really not happy.

  "In Q3 I saw I was only going 0.2secs faster and I was sliding around, no grip and they told me it was P1 and I thought it must be a joke but we'll take it."

  Verstappen's Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez qualified third for the sprint, which will take place ahead of the main qualifying session for Sunday's race.

• 'It would be a privilege' - Hamilton looks ahead to potential Newey link-up at Ferrari

  Lewis Hamilton says it would be "a privilege" to work with Adrian Newey if the designer chooses to join Ferrari following his departure from Red Bull.

  Newey, who has been with Red Bull since 2006, will leave the team in early 2025 and is free to join a rival team ahead of the 2026 season.

  Ferrari are thought to be favourites to get his signature ahead of the impending arrival of seven-time world champion Hamilton.

  Asked about the possibility of pairing up with Newey, who is widely regarded as the greatest designer in Formula One history, Hamilton said: "If I was to do a list of people I would love to work with, he would absolutely be at the top of it.

  "Any team would be fortunate to have the opportunity to work with him.

  "Adrian has got such a great history and track record. He's obviously done an amazing job through his career and engaging with teams and the knowledge he has. I think he would be an amazing addition.

  "Ferrari have already got a great team. They are already making huge progress and strides – their car is quicker this year.

  "He [Newey] would be a privilege to work with."

  Newey informed Red Bull he wanted to leave after a tumultuous period behind the scenes for the Formula One constructors' champions.

  At the start of the season, controversy surrounded team principal Christian Horner as he was accused of engaging in inappropriate controlling behaviour towards a female member of staff, accusations he denied and was cleared of following an independent investigation. 

  World champion Max Verstappen said he does not blame Newey for leaving Red Bull.

  "I would have preferred, of course, for Adrian to stay," Verstappen told Sky Sports.

  "But at the end of the day, and that's what I also said to Adrian, you have to do what you think is best for yourself, because at the end of the day, F1 is a bit of a shark tank. And I think it's very important that you do think about yourself, that you make the right decisions for yourself and your family.

  "So I also don't blame him. If someone wants to leave, you go and pursue other goals or things in life, so that's absolutely fine."