Reports of Adrian Newey wanting to depart Red Bull have emerged in the past couple of hours. BBC Sport’s Andrew Benson confirmed that the 65-year-old has expressed his intention to leave the team. This has sparked rumors that the Briton is heading to Ferrari, with many touting him to be spearheading the Italian outfit’s charge from 2025 onwards. However, Sky Sports F1’s Craig Slater has revealed that it may be a couple of years before Newey can begin working for Ferrari.
Firstly, Newey has a contract with Red Bull that expires at the end of the 2025 season. Secondly, as per the terms of his contract, he cannot start working for a rival without serving at least a year of gardening leave.
Slater explained, “What I can also say of his contractual situation is that he is contracted at Red Bull Racing until the end of 2025. And as I understand it, he would have to serve another year of gardening leave. Which would mean he would not be able to work for another Formula 1 team until 2027.”
The earliest reports of Newey’s exit from the Milton-Keynes-based team emerged out of the German publication Auto Motor und Sport. Soon after, BBC Sport also confirmed these reports. That’s not it, as AMuS has also reported that the Briton has been sighted in Bologna, Italy.
However, there has been no official announcement or communication from either Red Bull or Newey with respect to these developments. Slater also revealed that as far as Red Bull are concerned, they have not been made aware of any offer for Newey’s services from a rival F1 team.
Why could Adrian Newey be keen on leaving Red Bull?
Paddock rumors suggest that Adrian Newey has been angling for a move away from Red Bull ever since the recent Christian Horner controversy resulted in a reported internal power struggle emerging within the team. The cracks first started to emerge when Max Verstappen’s father, Jos, demanded the sacking of Horner.
An independent barrister, however, dismissed the grievance against Horner after a female employee launched allegations of “inappropriate behavior” towards her. However, Jos still explained that ever since Red Bull began investigating Horner, there has been a divide within the team.
But Red Bull’s official statement told a different story, claiming that the team were united and the bonds were stronger than ever before. Interestingly, the former Arrows F1 driver has not been seen in the Red Bull garage ever since he made those comments.
