Oracle Red Bull Racing has officially confirmed the departure of renowned designer and Chief Technical Officer Adrian Newey after 18 years of continued service at the team.
In a press release, “Oracle Red Bull Racing today announces that Chief Technical Officer Adrian Newey will leave the Red Bull Technology Group in the first quarter of 2025. The engineering supremo will step back from Formula One design duties to focus on final development and delivery of Red Bull’s first hypercar, the hugely anticipated RB17. He will remain involved in and committed to this exciting project until its completion.”
Adrian Newey
“Ever since I was a young boy, I wanted to be a designer of fast cars. My dream was to be an engineer in Formula One, and I’ve been lucky enough to make that dream a reality. For almost two decades it has been my great honour to have played a key role in Red Bull Racing’s progress from upstart newcomer to multiple title-winning Team. However, I feel now is an opportune moment to hand that baton over to others and to seek new challenges for myself. In the interim, the final stages of development of RB17 are upon us, so for the remainder of my time with the Team my focus will lie there. I would like to thank the many amazing people I have worked with at Red Bull in our journey over the last 18 years for their talent, dedication and hard work. It has been a real privilege, and I am confident that the engineering Team are well prepared for the work going into the final evolution of the car under the four-year period of this regulation set. On a personal note, I would also like to thank the shareholders, the late Dietrich Mateschitz, Mark Mateschitz and Chalerm Yoovidhya for their unwavering support during my time at Red Bull, and Christian, who has not only been my business partner but also a friend of our respective families. Also, thanks to Oliver Mintzlaff for his stewardship and Eddie Jordan, my close friend and manager.”
Christian Horner
“All of our greatest moments from the past 20 years have come with Adrian’s hand on the technical tiller. His vision and brilliance have helped us to 13 titles in 20 seasons. His exceptional ability to conceptualise beyond F1 and bring wider inspiration to bear on the design of grand prix cars, his remarkable talent for embracing change and finding the most rewarding areas of the rules to focus on, and his relentless will to win have helped Red Bull Racing to become a greater force than I think even the late Dietrich Mateschitz might have imagined. More than that, the past 19 years with Adrian have been enormous fun. For me, when Adrian joined Red Bull, he was already a superstar designer. Two decades and 13 Championships later he leaves as a true legend. He is also my friend and someone I will be eternally grateful to for everything he brought to our partnership. The legacy he leaves behind will echo through the halls of Milton Keynes and RB17 Track Car will be a fitting testament and legacy to his time with us.”
Newey’s Achievements with Red Bull
Newey’s contributions to the renowned racing team shouldn’t be understated. Since joining Red Bull Racing in 2006 from McLaren, his technical prowess and contribution to the team’s development has amassed 6 Constructors’ Championship titles and 7 Drivers’ Championships. Not to mention their 100 pole positions, 272 podium finishes, 117 race victories and counting.
The 2006 season saw Red Bull with Newey as the head of their technical team get its first podium finish in the Monaco Grand Prix with David Coulthard.
In 2010, Red Bull claimed both their first Drivers’ Championship title with Sebastian Vettel and their maiden Constructors’ Championship. The team secured four consecutive Drivers’ Championships with the German driver through to 2013. Mark Webber helped contribute to four straight on the Constructors’ Championship side.
This was only the beginning for Newey’s technical leadership at Red Bull Racing, after Red Bull went on a grueling battle between Mercedes in 2021, the team went on to dominate the championship standings in the new regulations enacted in 2022.
Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez have been at the forefront of this dominant run, gathering 2 Constructors’ Championship titles in total, and Verstappen bagging 3 straight World Drivers’ Championships.
What this means for Red Bull
Newey leaving Red Bull is a reflection of the consequences of the continued internal struggle between Team Principal Christian Horner/the Thai part of the ownership versus the Austrian side of the ownership/Jos Verstappen/Helmut Marko.
The issues with Horner and the sexual harassment allegations involving a female employee have been indicative of the internal issues the team is having.
The relationship has changed in recent times between Horner and Newey as well. In a December 2023 interview with Motorsport.com, Horner said that, “Adrian is a big part of this team and big part of what we’ve achieved.
“But of course, his role has evolved over the last few years and the technical team beneath him led by Pierre Wache, they’re doing a wonderful job and so that they’re not reliant on Adrian.
“He has the ability to come in, come out and work on other projects and I think that’s part of the evolution of any team.”
It’s believed this was not taken well by Newey. His wife Amanda said, “what a load of hogwash” in a Twitter post on January 5th, followed by “absolute bollocks” in reply to another post stating Waché was at the heart of the 2022 and 2023 designs.
What the Future holds for Newey
It is uncertain what would be Newey’s next move in the racing world at present. He has been linked to Aston Martin, Mercedes, McLaren, and Ferrari, with the possibility of him joining the Scuderia the most talked about right now.
He has concrete offers on the table from Ferrari and Aston as things stand. Retirement seems very unlikely.
