Adrian Newey has decided to leave the Red Bull Formula 1 team after working there for twenty years. He played a big part in designing cars that helped drivers like Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen win seven world championships and six constructors’ titles for Red Bull.
The news that Newey was leaving was first reported by a German magazine called Auto Motor und Sport. It was later confirmed by sources who know about the situation, speaking to the media.
Even though Newey signed a new contract with Red Bull just last year, there’s been a lot of talk lately about what his future holds with the team.
Red Bull has been dealing with some internal problems between different parts of the company. One side, supported by people from Thailand, backs the team principal Christian Horner. The other side, including team advisor Helmut Marko, is from Austria. This conflict started at the beginning of the 2024 season after some claims were made against Horner, but they were later dismissed.
Newey seems bothered by all this trouble at Red Bull, especially the issues with Horner. That’s why he surprised everyone by telling the team he’s leaving.
This news is a big setback for Red Bull, especially since they’re doing so well in the championship with Verstappen driving their car.
Verstappen is still under contract with Red Bull until 2028. But he’s made it clear that he wants the key people who make the team successful to stay. It’s not clear if his contract has a clause allowing him to leave if Newey does.
We don’t know yet what Newey will do next. There’s been talk that the owner of Aston Martin, Lawrence Stroll, made him a big offer during the Saudi Grand Prix. Ferrari has also shown interest in him before, but he’s always turned them down.
Red Bull says Newey is under contract until at least 2025, and they don’t know anything about him joining another team.
Before Red Bull, Newey worked with teams like Williams and McLaren, where he helped design cars that won championships.
