Adrian Newey Leaves Gaping Hole in Engineering Squad, But Red Bull Stands Strong: “We Are Still a Good Team”

Adrian Newey’s exit has probably been the biggest jolt Red Bull received this season. In fact, it seems a coincidence that the team also started to perform badly on track after Newey’s exit. While it may not be a direct impact, Newey’s position at Milton Keynes has always been extremely important. Now, heading into 2025, they would be designing their new car without Newey’s leadership.

However, Red Bull chief engineer Paul Monaghan feels that it will be a smooth transition with Pierre Wache taking charge as the technical director. Monaghan expressed confidence in the engineering minds at Red Bull to try and fill the vacuum Newey will leave.

Adrian Newey has told team management he is leaving Red Bull, according to information obtained by Autosport.#F1 pic.twitter.com/nI0f1uwP5Y

— Autosport (@autosport) April 25, 2024

Per Formu1a.uno, Monaghan stated, “We have incredibly talented people. It’s great to work with Pierre Waché. We’re moving forward like this, we’re still a good team.” Monaghan also mentioned that it will be a “personal loss” for him with Newey leaving.

He said that he liked the British designer’s way of designing cars as well as his problem-solving ability. However, the Red Bull chief engineer understands that Newey wants to move on and do different things.

The 65-year-old has spent almost two decades at the Milton Keynes outfit, after moving away from McLaren in late 2005. At Red Bull, Newey always got the perfect environment to freely design his unique aero concepts.

And even when the team suffered a rough patch, they backed the Briton. Now, Newey will hope to find a similar team and it could once again be in the UK itself.

Newey’s rumored deal with Aston Martin

There were a lot of teams in the running for signing the Red Bull genius. Ferrari was the most likely contender with Newey also having made statements about his desire to work with the Prancing Horse.

However, in the past few months, those rumors went on the back burner — reportedly due to Newey’s wish to stay in the UK instead of moving to Italy. Now, Aston Martin seems to be the most probable destination for the 65-year-old.

Lawrence Stroll had been pursuing Newey since the start of this year. While McLaren and Williams were also rumored to have approached their former technical leader for a homecoming, nothing has come of those links.

However, after several months of rumored contract offers and a factory tour, it seems like Newey is set to join Aston Martin next season. Italian publication Autosprint reported that the Silverstone outfit could announce Newey’s signing at the start of September.