Adrian Newey has made it official.
He is leaving Red Bull.
Arguably the greatest engineer in Formula 1 history, Newey officially informed Red Bull that he would be leaving the team following the 2025. The move was rumored to be coming, with reports surfacing last week that Newey had grown frustrated with the power struggle taking shape at the F1 team.
The team shared the news on social media Wednesday morning, indicating that he would be departing “in the first quarter of 2025.”
The Team 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 1
design duties to focus on final development and delivery of Red Bull’s first hypercar, the… pic.twitter.com/FSSHqzieip— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) May 1, 2024
“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,” said Newey in a corresponding statement from the 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.”
Team Principal Christian Horner hailed Newey’s countless contributions to the team.
“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,” said Horner. “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.”
The news will kick off hours of breathless speculation regarding where Newey could land. Ferrari and Aston Martin have been consistently linked to his services ever since the rumors of his departure first surfaced. There is also the potential for a move to a different team to have a significant impact on the upcoming driver transfer market.
However, could Newey simply ride off into the sunset, and leave F1 behind?
That too remains a possibility.
