Earlier this week it was officially announced that Adrian Newey will be leaving Red Bull in the first quarter of 2025. The British engineer has played a pivotal role in Red Bull’s success for almost two decades, having joined the fledgling team in 2006. He oversaw Sebastian Vettel’s title streak from 2010 to 2013 as technical director and later contributed to Max Verstappen’s continued dominance in the early 2020s. Red Bull made history in 2023 with the RB19, winning a record-breaking 21 out of 22 races.
Verstappen addressed the news of Newey’s impending exit on media day in Miami.
“Of course, Adrian, when he started at Red Bull, he was incredibly important for the success that they had,” he said.
“I think over time, his role has changed a bit, and I think a lot of people don’t understand what he was actually doing.”
Verstappen admitted that he personally would’ve preferred Newey to stay, but downplayed the predicted impact of his departure.
He attributed Red Bull’s more recent success to the technical department as a whole, suggesting that Newey’s influence has waned over time, particularly when it comes to day-to-day design duties.
Pierre Waché, who joined the team in 2013, took on the role of technical director in 2018. This allowed Newey to pursue technical projects outside of Formula 1, such as Aston Martin’s Valkyrie and Red Bull’s RB17 hypercar, which he is set to continue working on until its completion.
“I wouldn’t say he was not doing anything, but his role has evolved,” Verstappen explained. “A lot of good people came into the team that has strengthened that whole department. Of course, I would have preferred him to stay, for sure, because you can always rely on his experience.
“Just as a person, he was a great guy to chat to and relate to. He was very bright, very smart, but he would also talk to the driver, and then he would interpret that into the car. He would try to imagine himself driving.
“But I also really trust the technical team that we have outside of Adrian,” Verstappen continued. “It’s very, very strong, and they have basically shown that over the last few years with how competitive the car is. So, from the outside, it looks very dramatic, but I think if you actually know what is happening inside the team, it’s not as dramatic as it seems.”
Verstappen firmly stated that he’s focusing on doing the best job possible in his role as a driver, regardless of staff turnover at Red Bull.
“Well, I think all of these things a couple of years ago would have been a bit unexpected,” he conceded.
“But I think it’s always very important to remain calm and focus on your job, know who you’re working with, feel comfortable. And at the end of the day, we need to have the fastest car. That’s what I always demanded.
“That’s what we finally got, for a couple of years now. And we have a very strong technical team that are part of the team still for a long time. So, yeah, basically, it goes on like it was going.”
In 2022, Verstappen signed a five-year contract extension, intending to stay with Red Bull until 2028. The controversy surrounding Christian Horner and the growing tensions within Red Bull, however, have recently brought his commitment to the team into question.
Verstappen denied that Newey’s exit has prompted him to reconsider his own future plans.
“I mean, I think people, in the press, they are making up a lot of things at the moment because they don’t understand how the rules work in the team. Like I said before, I cannot deny that I would have preferred him to stay just for how he is as a person, his knowledge.
“And of course, what he will bring to potentially another team if he wants to join. Besides that, I trust that the people that we have, they are incredibly good at what they do.”
Asked whether he tried to convince Newey to remain with the team at any point, Verstappen remarked that he respects Newey’s decision to seek new challenges elsewhere.
“I don’t need to convince anyone because at the end of the day, if someone really wants to leave, they should leave,” he said. “That’s also what I wrote to him. You know, we talk.
“I mean, it’s not like suddenly you don’t talk anymore. But if you think that is the right decision for yourself and family or you seek a different challenge or whatever, you have to do it.
“F1 is a shark tank. Everyone thinks about themselves at the end of the day. I know that. I’m not stupid. So, that’s fine.”
Verstappen acknowledged that “there will never be another Adrian,” but chose to look at the positives, suggesting that Newey’s departure could potentially offer fresh opportunities to others within the team.
As for whether he expects anyone else to make a surprise exit, Verstappen said, “Well, I mean, I cannot speak for everyone else. At the moment, I think everyone is happy with their roles in the team. And who knows, maybe with Adrian leaving, what it will do to the team.
“This is not something bad towards Adrian, but you see that in a lot of different companies—sometimes when somebody has been part for a long time of the team, and then suddenly this person leaves, it’s not always a negative thing. (…) For us now it’s important to work with people we have available. And they are very good at what they do.”
The timeline of Newey’s departure suggests that an early exit agreement has been reached, considering he was originally contractually obligated to remain with Red Bull until the end of 2025 with an expected 12-month gardening leave period.
Verstappen said he’s “not surprised” that Newey’s exit has been expedited.
“In a way, I’m also not surprised because we respect him a lot. And we will always be very, very thankful for what he has done for the team over all these years.
“And that’s why I think it would be maybe also a little bit unfair to try and just put him on gardening leave for a very long time. So I guess there’s this mutual respect between two parties.”
Newey is currently being linked with a move to Ferrari, a team the British engineering legend hasn’t previously worked with in his illustrious career.
Verstappen admitted that Newey’s expertise and skillset would be an advantage to any team, but reiterated that “it’s always a group of people that makes a team successful.”
“A person like Adrian, with his experience and the knowledge that he has from our team, it should be an advantage,” Verstappen said. “But then on the other hand, in ‘26 everything is very, very new, very different to how the cars are now.
“Before he would potentially join another team is in ‘25, then normally the cars are already designed for that year. So that is… something you don’t know how much influence he can have.
“But for sure, with new regulations, if he would go somewhere else, with his knowledge, he can bring a lot to the team.”
