It surprised many Formula 1 fans when Adrian Newey announced he would be leaving Red Bull in 2025 after nearly two decades of success with the Austrian outfit.
Adrian Newey has one of the greatest records in the history of F1 and at this stage of the 2024 season, he looks set to add another Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championship to his impressive tally.
Unsurprisingly, once there were whispers that he would be leaving Red Bull next year, virtually every other team on the grid started work on convincing Newey to join them instead.
Newey was speaking to Sky Sports F1 and discussing his future beyond his time at Red Bull.
Teams are already working on their power units for the new regulations introduced to Formula 1 in 2026.
READ MORE: Everything we know about Formula 1’s 2026 regulation changes
They’ll be tackling the rest of their cars very soon and the one man they would want designing that car is Adrian Newey.
However, while he doesn’t appear to be in any rush to decide – or at least announce one to the general public – about his next steps, he does have a timeline in mind for what he’s going to do in the future.
And while that may frustrate his prospective new employers, they’ll understand that he’s the man in the position of power at the moment, knowing that his reputation makes him an incredibly coveted asset for the next ruleset.
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Red Bull Racing from engine to Ford links
Adrian Newey shares when he thinks he’ll make his decision on his Formula 1 future
Asked about his next steps, Newey said: “I don’t know, I’m still working on the RB17 our track cars and then just taking some time off.
“Last week, we took seven days, had lucky timing on the weather obviously, went around the south coast with our dogs in an old Aston Martin DB6 and that was great fun.”
Journalist Craig Slater then asked: “Maybe autumn, winter time, you might have an idea of what’s next?”
Newey replied: “Yeah, that’s certainly the target, I’ll need to have made my mind up.”
Which teams are trying to sign Adrian Newey?
There are a host of Formula 1 teams trying to convince Adrian Newey that they’re the best option for him after he departs Red Bull.
One recent suggestion is that Newey is already negotiating the final details of a contract with Ferrari.
Team principal Frederic Vasseur has shown that he’s keen on building the strongest team possible in Maranello, especially with his move to bring in Lewis Hamilton from Mercedes.
Newey has also visited the Aston Martin factory and Lawrence Stroll has already responded to his contract demands.
Williams team boss James Vowles is trying to build the team back up after decades of slowing falling behind their rivals.
After confirming Alex Albon for the foreseeable future, he wants to bring Newey back to Williams.
Williams can’t offer the same sort of contract as Ferrari or Aston Martin, but instead gave Newey the opportunity to have some shares in the team.
Flavio Briatore has even contacted Newey about potentially joining Alpine although this seems like an outside bet at this stage.
The teams not mentioned above – McLaren, Mercedes, Haas or even Andretti – certainly wouldn’t turn down the opportunity to sign Newey.
It’s why he knows he can wait until the end of the year before announcing which team’s car he’ll be designing next.
The post ‘Certainly the target’: Adrian Newey shares when he will make decision on his next F1 team after Red Bull exit appeared first on F1 Oversteer.
