Adrian Newey is leaving Red Bull in the early part of next year. And everybody in the F1 paddock is waiting to see what he’ll do next.
Newey’s departure is significant for a whole host of reasons. First and foremost, it could weaken a Red Bull team who have established a stranglehold on F1 since the start of 2022.
Team principal Christian Horner has stressed the importance of technical director Pierre Wache, who has reduced the team’s overreliance on the 65-year-old. But Newey himself feels he’s more influential than Horner has given him credit for.
Beyond that, it could spark further departures. More senior figures at Red Bull are considering their future amid internal unrest.
Of course, much of the focus will be on star driver Max Verstappen. His father Jos has warned that the team is at risk of ‘falling apart’ after Wednesday’s announcement.
And then there’s a possibility that Newey signs elsewhere and significantly strengthens a rival team. He apparently held talks with Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur ahead of the Miami Grand Prix.
The Scuderia are already Red Bull’s nearest challengers and have signed Lewis Hamilton for 2025. A Newey-Ferrari-Hamilton triumvirate could certainly be a formidable foe.
Aston Martin are also interested as they look to further bolster their long-term championship hopes. They’ve already tied down Fernando Alonso to a new contract and struck an exclusive Honda engine deal for 2026.
What Eddie Jordan has said about Adrian Newey future
Speaking in an early snippet from Thursday’s Formula For Success podcast, Eddie Jordan looked at what the future may hold for Newey. The former F1 team boss is a close confidante of the Englishman and also serves as his manager.
Intriguingly, he seems to think that Newey is ‘more likely’ to take a break or perhaps even leave F1 behind than he is to join a rival team straightaway. That’s after a highly demanding spell at Milton Keynes.
“Remember that he’s been in Red Bull under constant pressure,” he said. “So if he’s going to take time out and just cruise for a while, then everyone would understand that.
“And I think that’s probably more likely to see rather than diving into any other possible employment career. Things have slightly changed.
“He’s got a bit older and various things. This is a great team, he’s had great drivers, he’s got great personnel there. He probably should and would look to the future about a change of life.”
Adrian Newey to see out RB17 hypercar project
While Newey is on his way out, his involvement with the team hasn’t concluded just yet. He’s putting the finishes touches to the RB17 hypercar ahead of the grand unveiling at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July.
The Advanced Technologies division of the team announced the project, which broke new ground for Red Bull, at the beginning of this year. Newey has been central to it from the outset, and wants to see it through before production begins in 2025.
As for F1, the expectation is that he’ll continue to attend select races this season to support the team from trackside. The development plan for the RB20, and the concept for next year’s car, may already be in place.
That means we might have to wait until 2026 before we truly see the on-track impact of his exit. But with the chassis regulations undergoing a significant overhaul, he may well have been as valuable as ever.
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