Adrian Newey appears to be on his way out of Red Bull Racing after nearly two decades with the team and playing a key role in the manufacturer going on to dominate Formula 1.
Max Verstappen has won 21 of the last 23 races in a car designed by Adrian Newey and it’s hard to see that run ending any time soon.
Speaking on The Race Podcast, journalists Ben Anderson and Edd Straw have been discussing the 65-year-old’s future.
There are plenty of teams in the paddock who will sense an opportunity that few believed would ever arise and could now sign one of the most successful members of pit lane staff in the sport’s history.
While Mercedes is more cautious about signing Newey, even they might bring him in under the right conditions.
However, Straw and Anderson have been discussing a scenario that could see Adrian Newey stay at Red Bull.
It looks like he might have already made his mind up, but he’s unlikely to be allowed to exit his contract immediately and that would give him time to think about his final decision.
Adrian Newey could stay at Red Bull under one condition
After arriving in Formula 1 following his successful stint in CART, Adrian Newey has been a mainstay in the sport’s most successful teams for decades.
Spells at Williams and McLaren saw him help Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Damon Hill, Jacques Villeneuve and Mika Hakkinen win championships.
When Red Bull took over from Jaguar, Newey was one of their key signings and he was tasked with helping them go from midfield runners to championship contenders.
Four years after his arrival, Newey and the team achieved that feat winning the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championship with Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber in the car.
That started a four-year stint of dominance for the team and now Red Bull look set to match that feat in 2024 with Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez but that doesn’t appear to be enough to convince Newey to stay beyond this year.
However, there may be one scenario that sees Newey make a U-turn on his decision and remain with the team.
Unfortunately, it could create even more upheaval, but could just be worth it.
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Red Bull’s internal politics beginning to tear the team apart
Speaking about Newey’s future, Anderson said: “In theory, he could stay at Red Bull, if the situation is wrapped up in the [Christian] Horner thing and then some scenario happens whereby Horner just basically has to fall on his sword because it’s all become untenable, then that solves the problem doesn’t it if it’s a personal thing around that case?
“If Horner’s gone then [Adrian] Newey doesn’t have a reason to leave anymore, so it could be a play in that regard.”
Straw replied: “But, there could be other reasons about 2026, maybe he doesn’t like the power unit project, we don’t know.
“Does he not like the Formula 1 regs, in which case does he want to do Formula 1?”
Anderson concluded: “He never likes the Formula 1 regs, does he!”
For Newey to stay at Red Bull, Christian Horner might have to depart and right now it looks unlikely that he’ll make that call.
Max Verstappen’s contract isn’t directly linked to Newey’s, however, his departure will have him wondering whether sticking with Red Bull is the right decision.
He does a clause that would allow him to leave if Helmut Marko quit Red Bull, and if the trio all decided it was time for a change, then the entire trajectory of the team would change.
The nature of Formula 1 is that no team’s domination ever lasts forever.
Red Bull now have to make some very important decisions to avoid losing their grasp on both championships beyond this season.
The post ‘In theory’: Journalist shares the one scenario that could see Adrian Newey U-turn on rumoured Red Bull exit appeared first on F1 Oversteer.
