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Adrian Newey

Newey's likely destinations after surprise Red Bull F1 exit

Adrian Newey looks set to leave Red Bull, his home in F1 for the past 18 years. If that is to happen, as it is expected, where might be the next stop in his long career?

Newey Ferrari
Analysis
To news overview © XPBimages

Adrian Newey, the legendary F1 designer and engineer, is set to leave Red Bull – his home in F1 since 2006.

Having joined before the start of Red Bull’s second campaign in F1, Newey helped guide it to six constructors’ and seven drivers’ titles – four for Sebastian Vettel and the most recent three for current champion Max Verstappen.

However, the chief technical officer is reportedly unhappy with how the Christian Horner saga played out, and the multi-faceted internal power struggle that has emerged since, despite Horner being cleared of all allegations.

Newey is contracted until the end of the 2025 F1 season, but RacingNews365 understands he is likely to leave early, at the end of 2024, with the suggestion he can negotiate his way out of his existing deal to join a new team.

It is not yet known if, and how long, any gardening leave might be. But if we are to play out either possible timeline, there remains the possibility he will not be joining his new team until 2026.

Newey began his F1 career in the late 1980s with Leyton House, before moving on to winning championships with both Williams and McLaren. However, the 65-year-old is not expected to return to either current team.

The former is unlikely in part due to its current standing in F1, whilst the latter is expected to be the only top five team not to court Newey.

That leaves Ferrari, Aston Martin, and Mercedes as the most likely destination for him. There is also the outside chance he retires altogether.

Ferrari

Instinctively, Ferrari feels like the natural fit. There has always been an air of ‘two ships passing in the night’ or the ‘one that got away’ when it comes to Newey and Ferrari, with the most recent approach coming in 2014, before Newey stayed loyal to Red Bull.

It is certainly the romantic option, a poetic final chapter to the storied career of the man who many consider the best F1 designer of all time.

Plus, with Lewis Hamilton joining the Scuderia next season, the allure of winning championships together at Ferrari might be too much to pass up.

			© Photo4
	© Photo4

Aston Martin

Aston Martin is known to have put an offer on the table for Newey’s services. Lawrence Stroll is not messing around and is determined to turn the team into a championship-winning outfit come the new regulations cycle in 2026.

How much of an impact Newey – likely with gardening leave to boot – would be able to have by then remains to be seen, but Aston Martin’s ambition cannot be disregarded.

Newey left the comfort of McLaren all those years ago for a plucky, upstart insurgent outlier in Red Bull. Could he be tempted again?

With Honda, a partner Newey is familiar with, also teaming up with the Silverstone squad, there are plenty of reasons to join.

Plus, Fernando Alonso is now signed on, so the possibility of working with him could be a draw. However, whilst Lance Stroll occupies one of the two seats in the team, there is not the belief that Aston Martin can seriously challenge the establishment of Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull.

Then again, are Newey’s motivations winning more championships, or is he after a fresh challenge?

			© Photo4
	© Photo4

Mercedes

The only team to beat Newey since he started winning with Red Bull in 2010, Mercedes does feel more unlikely than either Ferrari or Aston Martin, but you can never count the eight-time constructors’ champions out.

Newey does not seem like the type, but joining Red Bull’s most fierce rivals would be quite power play. You’d have to respect it.

To add further ammunition to the theory, Mercedes is very keen on prizing Max Verstappen away from Red Bull as well. The Dutchman is contracted until 2028, but there is believed to be a Dr Helmut Marko-sized break clause in his deal, which could facilitate an earlier departure if the 80-year-old were to leave. This does not directly relate to Newey, but it certainly could be a factor in his thinking.

In Mercedes, a little like Ferrari, Newey would have the opportunity to restore a fallen power to its former glory, rebalancing F1 in the process.

			© Photo4
	© Photo4

Retirement

The last option, of course, is that Newey walks away from F1 altogether. He will be 67 years old come 2026, British retirement age, so it is not entirely out the question.

Then again, it is not like continuing to work for the financial means is a factor for someone of Newey’s stature, so it really comes down to whether he feels he has something left to give or prove.

If he does not, then he may opt to call time on a historic career, and nobody would be able to fault that decision.

So, really, it all comes down to whether the fire is still there. If it is, one of the aforementioned three is his likely next home in F1. If it is not, retirement may well win out.

Where do you think Adrian Newey will go next? Let us know by voting in the latest RacingNews365 poll below and in the comments!

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Join the conversation!

  1. https://cdn.racingnews365.com/Avatars/small/default.png

    Bruno1Verrari

    Isn’t he a part-time-consultant, not an employee?! He can certainly break it for management misconduct reasons…

    • https://cdn.racingnews365.com/Avatars/small/default.png

      Patrick Chapman

      He is under contract to Red Bull so I doubt that he is a consultant. Any contract can be broken for a multitude of reasons but usually it just boils down to money. If he doss leave he can always sit at home during his gardening leave period and Zoom his ideas to Aston Martin that way.

      • https://cdn.racingnews365.com/Avatars/small/default.png

        Bruno1Verrari

        During the budget cap investigation, that was one of the issues to claridf: Adrian’s part-time consultant contract was paid by Red Bull Technology, while Helmut Marko’s by the Red Bull mother company… In such cases, NDAs are fine but the EU probably won’t accept any more than 3 months of gardening leave…

        This comment has been edited on:

  2. https://cdn.racingnews365.com/Avatars/small/avatars_numbers/avatars_numbers_2024_mv.png

    Robson Coimbra

    It is clear the ill will of the specialized press, especially the British with Cristian Horner/Red Bull and it may be that they continue to stretch the rope against the team. The fact is that Red Bull will never offer its designer wizard on a platter and if it is true Newey's departure they will enforce the contract until the last comma and he will have to comply with the quarantine and when this ends he will be 68 years old and the new rules will already be implemented in all teams.

  3. https://cdn.racingnews365.com/Avatars/small/default.png

    Patrick Chapman

    If Adrian leaves Red Bull and that is a very big if, I can't see him uprooting his family and moving to Italy at his age so Ferrari are out of the equation for me. Mercedes is a very corporate environment so I don't see Adrian fitting in well with that scene so that lets them out. That leaves Aston Martin which seems to be more the family atmosphere that Adrian prefers so that is where my guess goes if he does leave Red Bull. Horner and Adrian have always been very close associates since he joined Red Bull and I haven't seen anything that indicates that that has changed recently so my best guess is that he is with them until he decides to retire. A while ago Adrian stated in an interview that he still really enjoys F1 and as long as the team wants him he will be there. To me that team is Red Bull. So for me, Red Bull first and Aston Martin second.

    • https://cdn.racingnews365.com/Avatars/small/default.png

      Bruno1Verrari

      His current, third wife is South African and probably loves the sunshine in Monaco and Maranello more than Northwest London😎. His youngest kid is 25 and Red Bull tester…so, there’s no need to ”uproot” any family - unless he’d be glad to test the Ferrari Newey?!

      This comment has been edited on:

  4. https://cdn.racingnews365.com/Avatars/small/default.png

    Feersumenjin

    Fly in the ointment here as has been reported by the very credible Mark Hughes is that the person in question was PA to BOTH Horner and Newey. That said there may be a morality clause that would allow for a legal departure post haste. Sure the SCUD is a natural, Aston not so much. He would have one hand tied behind his back with the constantly under performing Lance to contend with. So once again that leaves us with Audi. More money than they can spend in any given lifetime, a history of coming in hard and fast to any given series with intent to win right out of the gate. A start up deal much like the environment he went into at Red Bull so there is that box ticked. With the regs being so prescriptive it is actually now entirely possible to come out swinging as development is so controlled as to be suffocating (see Merc's massive decline of late) . Enter Newey, who aside from having Kelly Johnson like abilites to visualize airflow in his head, has one other really, really, really valuable trait not seen anywhere else. Newey reads the ruleset and initially goes "Oh crap, they have shut everything down. Takes a few weeks to digest it and comes back with "OK, but here's what they missed, and I think I know how to tweak this to our advantage." His ability to envision and technically exploit even the smallest hole in any given ruleset is legend. Take the Trillion dollar salary and the Castle on the Rhine, go to Audi and write a little more history. Please!

  5. https://cdn.racingnews365.com/Avatars/small/default.png

    AlanCB

    Quote: That leaves Ferrari, Aston Martin, and Mercedes as the most likely destination for him.There is also the outside chance he retires altogether."-end quote. Loyal Max, Checo & Red Bull Fans, will obviously hoping for "retirement", as his "least objectionable option".

    • https://cdn.racingnews365.com/Avatars/small/default.png

      AlanCB

      @Patrick Chapman: It would appear that our replies to each other of Sat 27Apr24, & Sun 28Apr24, have been deemed inappropriate, & have been deleted, which is perfectly understandable, given their personal & sensitive nature.

      This comment has been edited on:

  6. https://cdn.racingnews365.com/Avatars/small/avatars_numbers/avatars_numbers_2024_sp.png

    Sundance98

    *Newly didn't have overnight success in the last 18 years, it took a tremendous amount of dedication, persistence, caring and innovation....along with keeping Unit Cohesiveness! The perfect concept would be for Newly to Mentor in the next great Track Engineer to continue his legacy. Big changes are coming to F-1 it seems in 2025.....so perhaps this is the perfect time to Reset the Chairs?

    • https://cdn.racingnews365.com/Avatars/small/default.png

      AlanCB

      @Sundance98: The perfect concept, AND the perfect alternative to joining Ferrari.

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