Red Bull announced earlier this month, that Adrian Newey will leave the team after an almost 20-year association. There weren’t any details about his next F1 project and while many have touted Ferrari to be the 65-year-old’s future destination, journalist Mark Hughes reveals what Newey really has on his mind.
In a conversation with The Race’s Edd Straw and Glenn Freeman, Hughes revealed that he spoke to Newey in Miami and the latter was clear about what he wants.
“He [Newey] has not decided what he wants to do yet, and he’s decided he won’t decide for quite some time yet.”
Newey’s decision to leave Red Bull comes against the backdrop of the inner turmoil within the Austrian stable. It started with Christian Horner’s saga earlier this year. And Newey, who craves peace and stability, was unhappy with how Red Bull dealt with the situation.
Following this news, rumors of several teams wanting the 65-year-old’s signature emerged. With the 2026 regulation changes looming, Newey’s stocks have risen massively in the paddock. His work on the current generation of dominant Red Bull cars in particular, has made him an immensely popular man within the F1 community.
Ferrari and Aston Martin are two teams most strongly linked to the British engineer. However, as Hughes revealed, Newey could go down an entirely different path altogether.
Adrian Newey might take a hiatus from F1
Newey’s decision on his next F1 project is widely awaited. However, he remains in no hurry and is looking forward to a ‘vacation’. Explaining why he actually pulled the plug on his time with Red Bull, Newey said (as quoted by Formula1.com),
There comes a point I think where I just felt, as Forrest Gump said, ‘a little bit tired.”
Amidst rumors of Ferrari and Aston Martin going after him, what Newey is actually eyeing is some time away from the sport. He has been in F1 for over three decades without any big break. So, a year or two away from the rigorous schedule could do him good.
Adrian Newey insists he currently has “no plan” to join one of Red Bull’s Formula 1 rivals, admitting he needs “a bit of a break”
Formula 1 is all-consuming and I’ve been at it for a long time now,” Newey told Sky Sports F1.
“2021 was a really busy year because of the tight… pic.twitter.com/kNASAEf7V9
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) May 4, 2024
On the other hand, Newey will not be forced to sit out the 2025 season. He was expected to serve a mandatory gardening leave following his Red Bull exit. But recent reports state that the Milton-Keynes-based outfit will not ask him to do the same.
This means, if Newey decides to join a team without taking a hiatus, he can get to work on their 2026 car right away.
However, Newey has often shown his disdain for the design limitations that F1 regulations bring in. As such, he could try his hand at road-cars, or another branch of motorsports altogether.
