Exclusive: Steiner expresses major 'surprise' at key Newey exit clause

Guenther Steiner has exclusively told RacingNews365 of his surprise at the fact Adrian Newey could potentially work for a new Formula 1 team from 2025.

It was officially confirmed last week that long-serving Red Bull chief technical officer Newey will leave the team at the end of the 2024 season, after 19 years in the post. 

There has been considerable speculation as to where Newey will go next, with Ferrari long-time admirers of the Briton, and with Aston Martin also known to have made a big-money offer to the most successful F1 designer of all-time. 

RacingNews365 also exclusively revealed that Williams could be a potential destination for Newey to end his career, although he does not have anything signed or agreements in place at the time of writing. 

As part of the release from his Red Bull contract, Newey will be able to work for a new team, if he chooses to do so from April 2025. 

The 2025 cars are largely expected to be similar to those in '24, with significant carry-over before the chassis and engine rules are revamped for '26, meaning Newey could, in theory, steer development for a '26 car. 

This is something that has stumped Steiner.

"What surprised me is that he can go and work for another team already next year, I think we are all surprised by that one," Steiner exclusively told RacingNews365 in Miami, where he was an ambassador for the race.

"Red Bull will have a good 2025 car with or without Adrian. Will he change a car in 2025 if he joins a team in '25? No.

"But it is 2026, that is what I always see in F1. 

"The short-term is very clearly written down what is happening and in the medium to long-term, it is about who will be at which place in two or three years.

"That is what is needed now in Formula 1, with your investments and your people because everything is so long-term."

To Ferrari?

Ferrari has long courted the services of Newey, last trying to do so in 2014 at the outset of the turbo-hybrid era and at a time when Newey was disillusioned with F1 owing to the poor Renault power unit. 

Newey is understood to be reluctant to move to Italy full-time should he ultimately decide to join Ferrari, with his looming Red Bull exit something Steiner compared to Hamilton's own confirmed 2025 Scuderia switch. 

"It is a little bit like the Lewis thing, that did surprise me, but am I shocked? No," he said.

"Adrian was there a long time, and it is just one of the things with all the stuff which happened at the beginning of the year - I don't know the details of it and maybe there is some friction there. 

"He just decided that: 'I want to do something else before I retire because he is still good. 

"I would think at the moment that he would fit in, but I don't know in which role," Steiner added.

"I don't know if he wants to work the whole year, or just give concept ideas and stuff like this, but I think Fred [Vasseur, Ferrari Team Principal], would make it work that he fits in there.

"And then obviously working with Lewis, it would be quite a cool thing to do for both of them."