Of late, Adrian Newey has become a hot topic of discussion, owing to speculations of him potentially leaving Red Bull. The 65-year-old has been a crucial employee of the Milton Keynes-based outfit for nearly two decades. However, it seems his tenure with the team is nearing its end. Red Bull is reportedly well aware of Newey’s intentions and has issued an official statement regarding the situation. Meanwhile, one team has been ruled out of contention already, should Newey’s departure follow through.
According to Sky, the car design genius has “informally communicated” his desire to leave Red Bull. The report reads, “He has decided that he does want to leave the team.” Per Sky, Newey communicated the update to his senior colleagues within the Red Bull camp.
Meanwhile, Red Bull came up with an official statement, clarifying Newey hasn’t made them aware of him being in contact with any other team. Quoted by Crash.net, the statement read, “Adrian [Newey] is contracted until at least the end of 2025, and we are unaware of him joining any other team.”
Red Bull will do everything to ensure the Newey advantage stays with them
The road after 2025 won’t be too easy for Adrian Newey, either. Another clause in his Red Bull contract warrants him to take a 12-month gardening leave from F1. Should Newey not renew his contract, he won’t be available to join another team until at least 2026. The only way to bypass the clause would be for all interested parties to reach an agreement for the new team to buy out the remaining clauses. But Red Bull will ensure to make the buyout extremely expensive, given their reluctance to allow another team to gain an advantage over them.
Given his impressive CV, Newey has a huge target on his back. Teams such as Ferrari, and Aston Martin are on the lookout for an opportunity to poach the British design genius. While Ferrari remains the front-runner to land Newey, Aston Martin has become the first team to be scratched off the list.
Ahead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in March, Aston Martin reportedly reached out to Newey with a big-money move. However, F1 expert Peter Windsor believes that he has rejected the move, given money is not his biggest motivation.
Ferrari could be the dream destination for Adrian Newey
Over the years, Ferrari has often tried poaching Adrian Newey from Red Bull failing in each of their pursuits. The most significant of these attempts came in 2014 when a Ferrari offer caused Newey some “sleepless nights”. Ferrari was always an attractive outfit for the 65-year-old, especially given the team’s heritage. Referring to Ferrari as a “magic brand,” Newey even claimed anyone would be tempted to join the team.
“Ferrari is this magic brand that I suppose, in all honesty, probably everybody in motor racing is always fascinated by and tempted to join if there’s the opportunity.”
However, no offer was lucrative enough to convince Newey to step away from Red Bull. In total, Ferrari has contacted Newey thrice over the years. Once during his Indycar career, next in 1993, and then again in 2014. But Newey could never bring himself to walk away from Red Bull, given he felt very comfortable with the team. For the Briton, the thought of leaving Red Bull is like “walking out on your family.”
