Newey insists he does 'enjoy regulation changes' despite Horner contradiction

Adrian Newey will leave Red Bull before F1 ushers in a new era of regulations in 2026, despite him saying he does "enjoy regulation changes".

The 65-year-old's next steps are not yet known. He will leave the Milton Keynes team in early 2025, where he has been since 2006, and will no longer work on Red Bull's F1 development programme, instead focusing his attentions on the RB17 hyper car.

This means Newey will no longer have any influence on the outfit's preparations for the all-new chassis rules that are set to be introduced alongside a power unit overhaul at the end of next season.

Whilst he has been heavily linked to Ferrari, it is not known if that move will come to fruition, or if it will happen in time for him to lead the charge on the Italian team's 2026 car.

"I do enjoy regulation changes, for sure," he told Sky Sports F1 when it was put to him that surely he wants to be a part of the changing regulations cycle.

"This current crop of regulations was the biggest regulations change we've had since 1983, when flat-bottom floors came in. So, I really enjoyed the challenge of all the research and detail design of that car.

"These two subsequent cars are evolutions of that car [the RB18], and next year's car will be the third evolution of that car, so that's been a great series - one that surprised me just how much there is in these cars. When I first looked at the regulations, I wasn't so sure. But yeah, it's been fun."

Horner's contradiction

Meanwhile, Red Bull team principal, Horner, has contradicted Newey saying that he enjoys changes of F1 regulations.

The 50-year-old is believed to have been a factor in the Red Bull chief technical officer's decision to step down from the team, with the internal turmoil at the team thought to have unsettled Newey.

That uncertainty has been caused by now-dismissed allegations made against Horner, with a power struggle thought to have ensued as a result of it.

Newey's departure and the rumoured instability at the team has led to speculation over the impact it has had on their working relationship, something that will not be quelled by Horner's contradiction.

"The ironic thing is, he [Adrian Newey] has always hated every single regulation change," the Red Bull team principal told Sky Sports F1.

"2026 is a unique one, because it's both chassis and engine regs. But it's a very different world these days with the cost cap and the restrictions that we have on resource."

It also feeds into wider questions surrounding Newey's future, with him stating feeling "tired" as a driving force behind stepping away from Red Bull now.