Red Bull’s start to the 2024 season has been riddled with controversy behind the scenes, owing to the saga surrounding team principal Christian Horner. This gave rise to rumors of Adrian Newey wanting to leave the team. However, veteran F1 Journalist Joe Saward recently spoke about a $350 million Red Bull project that would be more than enough, for Newey to stop thinking about leaving.
On his online blog, Saward detailed how Newey is at the center of the project surrounding Red Bull’s upcoming hypercar. Costing nearly $7 million, 50 units of the RB17 (name of the car) will be produced in the coming months. Saward revealed that Newey met with “a bunch of Japanese billionaires” so he could explain why the car was a great investment. Red Bull has plans to unveil the car at Goodwood this summer and has already sold 25 units of the RB17, even before its official launch.
Newey thought about the car first, during the Covid-19 lockdown. Initially not meant to be street-legal, the car will be built around a carbon-fiber monocoque. A twin-turbo V8 hybrid engine capable of producing over 1100 hp will also power the car. Inspired by the aerodynamics of F1, it will also feature extreme approaches such as ground-sealing skirts and a ‘blown’ diffuser.
For a mastermind like Newey, this is an ambitious enough project that could convince him to stay. To add, Red Bull has more plans for him after the RB17 project is completed. Newey will be in charge of building another car, which will have even more F1-related technology in it. The production for the same will be bigger than 50 units, which will likely make the car cheaper than the RB17.
Adrian Newey’s say on F1 Future
With turmoil reported in the Red Bull camp, Ferrari emerged as the most ideal destination for Newey. Having never worked with Lewis Hamilton or Ferrari before, the move seemed perfect on paper. Newey, however, did not pay heed to these reports. He spoke to Racing News 365, where he highlighted his enjoyment in being a car designer- something he wanted to do since he was 10 years old.
Newey landed his first job right after graduation. And his excitement of going to work every day, remains the same as it was all those years ago. The 65-year-old said, “I don’t tend to plan too far forward.” This suggests that Newey hasn’t thought a lot about leaving Red Bull, or what he will do after he does.
For Red Bull, losing Newey would be a huge loss. Since joining the team in 2005, the Brit has played a huge part in their success. He designed seven championship winning cars for the Milton-Keynes-based outfit, which could become eight, if they manage to win the 2024 title too.
