Every team Adrian Newey became a part of, has enjoyed success. The British engineer showcased that after joining Red Bull, helping them dominate the 2010-2013 era. After catching up to Mercedes in 2021, they have been enjoying similar dominance since 2022 as well. However, now that his tenure will come to an end in 2025, how long will his impact last? Discussing this scenario on the Nailing the Apex podcast on YouTube, F1 expert and host Tim Hauraney shared his assumption.
“They (Red Bull) would probably feel the effects of not having Adrian working on this iteration of the regulations, I would say they probably won’t really feel it until maybe this time next year. They’ll probably get off to a reasonably strong start,” he said predicting a strong start to 2025 as well.
Red Bull is still the front-running team. Max Verstappen made it evident with his pole in the Sprint qualifying in Miami despite a slight error in his flying lap. However, Hauraney suggested the fifth or the sixth race of the season is where the convergence is noticeable with teams bringing upgrades.
Ferrari is set to bring a package in Imola. McLaren brought a minor one in China and has got a big one in Miami, showing good progress. So, with Newey not available for Red Bull in 2025, the Austrian team might not be able to extract those crucial tenths throughout the season after the initial few races.
His input will surely be missed as it’s certain that he’ll leave after the first quarter of 2025. However, adding his name to the silliest of silly seasons, no one can predict where the 65-year-old will end up.
There are suggestions about retirement. However, he’s also been heavily linked with Ferrari and sees the Italian team as a landmark move. Surprisingly, Williams also put their name in contention. However, at this moment it’s anyone’s guess. But, what is the reason behind this move? Helmut Marko gave his two cents.
Helmut Marko gives insight into the mindset of Adrian Newey
The Austrian advisor has intimate knowledge of everything that goes around in the Red Bull garage. Based on his assessment, he feels the reason behind Newey’s decision to leave is a lack of motivation.
Having won it all and been with the Austrian team for almost two decades, Newey needs some change of scenery. Marko also believes once he turns a new page in his life at a new team or after a sabbatical, he will feel motivated again. However, it won’t be at his old team McLaren.
Adrian Newey can guarantee a race-winning car at least, if not a championship-winning one. This is the general perception and every team is trying their best to secure his services, except for his former team, McLaren. Zak Brown admitted he feels satisfied with his team’s current technical structure and does not want to disturb it.
However, he also revealed as reported by RacingNews365, the Red Bull technical structure will need a full shake-up. Brown claimed that his team received multiple CVs from the RBR camp after Newey’s news hit the shelves. According to the McLaren CEO, the Austrian team might be in for a rude awakening.
