Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has labelled Adrian Newey's departure from the squad as a “big loss” for the reigning world champions.
Red Bull confirmed earlier this week that Newey has stepped back from his involvement in the Formula 1 team ahead of his official exit in the first quarter of 2025.
Newey has been instrumental in Red Bull's success during its near 20-year association with F1, overseeing the production of cars that delivered six constructors' titles and seven drivers' titles.
With the 65-year-old's next career move still up in the air, Marko admitted his exit is a blow to the Milton Keynes-based squad.
"This is of course a big loss for Red Bull Racing,” Marko told Austrian newspaper Kronen Zeitung.
“He may not have always been involved in the day-to-day running, he may not have paid attention to every detail, every screw, but he was the one who controlled the complex knowledge of aerodynamics and mechanical grip of the whole car.
“Moreover, his great successes have made him a legend.”
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2026 implications
Newey has been heavily linked with a switch to Ferrari, while RacingNews365 understands that Williams is also pursuing his signature.
The timing of Newey's departure means he will not work on Red Bull's 2026 F1 car which will be built under a new set of technical regulations.
While Marko backed its engineering team to cope without Newey, he asserted the Briton has played a key role in the past in understanding fresh rules.
"We have built up a young engineering team in recent years, so we are very well positioned,” Marko added.
“But of course in 2026 there will be new regulations. Whenever such regulations came in the past, it was usually Adrian who was the first to understand it optimally."
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