It’s official. Adrian Newey is leaving his post as the chief technical officer at Red Bull.
News first broke last week that Newey intended to step down from his position. On Tuesday, we learned that the 65-year-old had officially handed in his letter of resignation.
We expected an announcement before the Miami Grand Prix, and it has now arrived. Newey has negotiated an early release from his contract and will depart in the first quarter of 2025.
Until then, he’s going to focus on seeing the RB17 hypercar project through to its completion. And he’ll still be appearing in a support role trackside too.
Inevitably, attention will now turn to Newey’s next steps. There’s no indication that he wants to retire, and Red Bull’s rivals are already vying for his signature.
Ferrari appear to be at the front of the queue right now. Newey reportedly met with their team principal Fred Vasseur in London on Tuesday.
But they will face stern competition from Aston Martin. Lawrence Stroll is ready to pay him more than £400k per week to join the Silverstone outfit.
A return to McLaren could also be on the cards, but the chances of a switch to Mercedes appear slim. Newey has concerns over the team’s direction and isn’t overly keen on the idea of working with Toto Wolff.
What Adrian Newey has said about F1 future behind closed doors
Speaking on Sky Sports News, reporter Craig Slater has shared what he’s heard about Newey’s plans. The Englishman won’t have to serve a period of gardening leave, which means he should be able to play a key role in the design of his new team’s 2026 car.
However, at this stage, he doesn’t know for sure which team that will be. He’s assured his colleagues at Milton Keynes that he hasn’t penned a contract with a rival team just yet.
“What I can say in factual terms about that is that Adrian Newey has told Red Bull that he has not signed an agreement to join another Formula 1 team,” Slater said. “He would not have a shortage of offers, and we certainly know of interest from Ferrari and interest from Aston Martin as well.”
Newey joined Red Bull at the beginning of their F1 project in 2006. He helped build a championship-winning car for Sebastian Vettel within four years of his arrival.
Vettel would win the next three titles too, and Max Verstappen is now enjoying a similar spell of dominance. The 27-year-old is hoping to match Vettel’s streak this year after the most dominant campaign in F1 history in 2023.
Is Adrian Newey going to Ferrari?
Speaking back in March, Sky Sports F1 commentator David Croft said he ‘would love’ to see Newey join Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari. And he may get his wish.
The F1 legend has previously rejected three approaches from the Scuderia amid concerns over their ruthless culture. But he’s now seriously considering joining the team.
Aston Martin will do what they can to complicate his decision as they look to combine Newey with Fernando Alonso. But team insiders already expect Ferrari to win the race.
Croft and co. may see this as the move that’s needed to break Red Bull’s stranglehold on Formula 1. Over at Maranello, Newey would be looking to deliver a first title since 2008.
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