In recent years this rumor has often ended up being classified as the most classic of fake news on Formula 1. Adrian Newey has been linked more or less to every Circus team throughout the period in which he remained at Red Bull, but this once the certainty was that it would not be fake news. His future remains uncertain. He must decide what to do with his life, whether to embrace a new project and ‘battle’ on the track with his own creation, dedicate himself to projects outside of F1 or head towards a well-deserved retirement.
In the meantime, F1 will process that Adrian Newey and Red Bull will part ways at the beginning of 2025.
NEWEY LEAVES THE TEAM HE JOINED IN 2006 AS AN UNDISPUTED GENIUS OF F1
Adrian Newey’s story starts well before Red Bull was born. The team led by Christian Horner wasn’t even an idea when the genius from Stratford-upon-Avon first approached F1. The first curiosity about him is that he shares his birthplace with William Shakespeare, two geniuses of their respective tasks and passions.
Newey was born in 1958 and attended Repton School, subsequently obtaining a degree in aeronautical and aerospace engineering from the University of Southampton in 1980.
His first approach to the world of F1 took place immediately after completing his studies with the ‘ Fittipaldi Automotive team and then joining the March group. Before dealing with F1, the engineer worked in minor categories and in other series, such as the American CART, with surprising and even winning results in which the contribution of his hand was already significant.
His name in F1 became important with the latest March projects before becoming Leyton House in 1990, where Adrian Newey was immediately appointed Technical Director.
Given the great results and aerodynamic innovations brought to motorsport, the interest of the top teams immediately became strong. So Williams brought him to Grove, hiring him as Chief Designer for a period lasting from 1991 to 1996.
From there, it was followed their experience in McLaren, which lasted eight years, before the advent of the Red Bull Racing team led by Christian Horner, who convinced him to embrace a new adventure with a leap into the unknown, which later proved to be triumphant.
During his long career in F1, the cars designed by Adrian Newey won 12 constructors’ world titles. He won 5 with Williams, 1 with McLaren and 6 with the Milton Keynes team. Drivers Championships accompanied all but two of these constructor’s titles. Mika Hakkinen in 1999 and Max Verstappen are the exceptions in this statistic.
His contribution to these results is recognized globally. Over the years, Christian Horner has worked tirelessly to prevent other teams from signing him. Adrian Newey has spoken about receiving offers from many teams, including Ferrari, who he almost joined.
Still, Newey previously always turned down Ferrari’s advances. A major obstacle was not wanting to move to Maranello and leave his family. This was especially significant as he wanted to spend time with his children. Moreover, Newey felt at home with Red Bull.
NEWEY’S ERA WITH RED BULL COMES TO AN END, HIS NEXT STEP IS UNCLEAR
THE WAR IN RED BULL AND LAST WEEK’S CONVERSATION
Last Wednesday, April 24, Newey was in Milton Keynes and had a conversation with Horner. The following day, rumours circulated that Newey’s exit was essentially confirmed at an unofficial level. It is understood that tensions within the team, starting last February, contributed to his exit. Of course, this began with the internal investigation into Horner’s alleged “inappropriate“ conduct towards an employee.
This investigation ended with the rejection of the complaint presented by the woman. However, the two factions created within the team are clear. One is aligned with Red Bull’s Thai owner and Christian Horner Horner. On the other side is the Austrian camp. The internal battles have truly been exposed.
The toxic environment that was created juxtaposed the team’s on-track successes. However, this tension pushed Newey to put an end to his long experience at Red Bull.
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