Despite Red Bull dominating their rivals on track, things aren’t quite smooth off the track. The Austrian team’s jeopardy began with the allegations against Christian Horner in February and this was followed by rumors of Helmut Marko and Max Verstappen leaving the Austrian giants. Now it seems as though Adrian Newey could well be on his way out.
Newey is one of the most sought-after engineers F1. His work at Red Bull has provided the team with two dominant eras. Between 2010 and 2013, he helped Sebastian Vettel dominate the sport. Now, Max Verstappen is doing the same. Unfortunately, the scandal at Red Bull seems to be driving Newey out of Red Bull.
He has been linked to Mercedes and Ferrari, the two teams closest to Red Bull. However, according to Corriere della Sera, Ferrari has the upper hand. The report suggests that apart from the lucrative work opportunity at Ferrari and its flexible chain of command, Newey can have multiple projects to look after when he’s at Maranello. They are Ferrari’s hypercar projects, boats, and endurance supercars.
Ferrari est en train d’étudier la possibilité d’attirer Adrian Newey qui semble plus ouvert que jamais à un transfert rapporte @Corriere. pic.twitter.com/hlSPWiXcdV
— Scuderia Ferrari FRA (@FerrariF1FRA) March 8, 2024
Newey has already worked with Red Bull and Aston Martin on a joint venture for the Aston Martin Valkyrie hypercar. This is an area he cannot work on if he moves to Mercedes.
On the other hand, Toto Wolff retained James Allison at Mercedes for the next five years. The thought of Allison and Newey working together seems unlikely at the moment. However, things can unravel very quickly, especially if figures like Max Verstappen leave Red Bull.
What intensified Red Bull’s jeopardy?
Earlier this week, it was reported that Helmut Marko was under fire at Red Bull. There was an investigation against him, surrounding the leaks of Christian Horner’s alleged WhatsApp texts. Rumors of him getting the suspension were getting stronger by the minute.
Marko did not specify whether he would travel to races because of the suspension. However, it is safe to say that this news shook up the stable. Max Verstappen for one, told Sky Sports that “there would be a problem” if Marko was asked to leave the team.
The defending champion has a contract with Red Bull till 2028. But as things stand, the Milton-Keynes-based is divided into two factions and this can lead to Verstappen leaving the team early. On one hand, Horner, and the majority Thai owners seem to be grouped into one group.
On the other hand, figures like Helmut Marko, Adrian Newey, and Max Verstappen are reportedly growing frustrated with Horner’s presence in the outfit.
