Brown fires Red Bull warning after Newey exit

McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown claims his team has received a number of job applications from Red Bull staff in the aftermath of Adrian Newey's departure.

Newey will leave the F1 champions after nearly two decades at the Milton Keynes-based outfit by the end of the first quarter of 2025 ongoing tension within the team, which the outgoing chief technical officer was believed to be unhappy with.

There has been considerable speculation heading into the Miami Grand Prix weekend as to the implications of Newey leaving, with Brown set on tapping into the insecurity surrounding the situation.

"Am I surprised? Six months ago, I would have been surprised," Brown told media including RacingNews365 when asked if the news had caught him off-guard.

"I think given everything that's gone on since the start of the year and knowing Adrian [Newey] pretty well, he's [a] very high integrity individual. I'm not surprised he is moving on.

"I think with the stuff that's going on there [at Red Bull] it is a bit destabilising. It's probably the first domino to fall, my guess is not the last based on the resumes flying around."

An increase in CVs from Red Bull

The most high-profile name linked with a move elsewhere has been Max Verstappen. The three-time champion is being openly courted by Mercedes and there have been suggestions he could be offered a deal worth up to €150 million per year by the team.

Brown's comments, however, cut to the heart of a potentially deeper issue for Red Bull. Pushed on his claim about CVs being sent in from Red Bull staff, he replied: "Yeah, we've seen an increase in CVs coming our way from Red Bull.

"Adrian [Newey] is the most successful designer of all time. So, in addition to the technical [knowledge] that he brings to the racing team, people want to work for people like Adrian Newey, and work alongside him.

"So I think they'll be missing what he brings to the team from a pure technical point of view, and then I think the leadership and the excitement people get from working with him will be missed."