F1: Adrian Newey to Bid Farewell to Red Bull Racing in 2025

While the writing was on the wall, now Red Bull Racing has officially confirmed that their legendary chief technical officer, Adrian Newey, will be leaving the team in the first half of 2025. Newey, widely regarded as the most successful car designer in the history of F1, will be stepping back from his F1 duties to focus on the final development and delivery of Red Bull's first hypercar, the highly anticipated RB17.

Newey has been an integral part of Red Bull's success over the past two decades. His innovative designs and technical expertise have been crucial in the team's seven Formula One Drivers' and six Constructors' Championship titles, which include an impressive 118 victories and 101 poles.

In a statement released by the team, they said, "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 hugely anticipated RB17."

The team also expressed their gratitude towards Newey, acknowledging his significant contributions to their success. "He will remain involved in and committed to this exciting project until its completion. We'd like to thank Adrian for our achievements in the time that we have worked together so far," the statement read.

However, behind the scenes, there have been reports of growing tensions between Newey and team boss Christian Horner. It is believed that Newey had become increasingly disillusioned at the team due to allegations against Horner, who had recruited him two decades ago. Their once-strong relationship had been strained for some time, and Newey felt sidelined and undervalued due to comments made by Horner, which implied that his role in the development of the team's latest F1 cars was limited.

Commenting on his impending departure, the 65-year-old designer reflected on his time at Red Bull, saying, "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."

Newey also took the opportunity to express his gratitude towards the team's shareholders, the late Dietrich Mateschitz, Mark Mateschitz, and Chalerm Yoovidhya, for their unwavering support during his time at Red Bull. He also thanked Christian Horner, Oliver Mintzlaff, and his close friend and manager, Eddie Jordan, for their contributions to his success.

Red Bull Racing CEO and team principal Christian Horner praised Newey's contributions, saying, "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."

As Newey prepares to leave Red Bull, speculation is rife about his next move. Although he had a contract until the end of 2025, it appears that he has managed to secure an early release. There are reports suggesting that he may not have a gardening leave, which would enable him to join another F1 team immediately. Rumours are circulating that he may be joining Ferrari, a team that has courted him for two decades. It is believed that Newey has met with Ferrari team principal Fred Vassuer in London to discuss the possibility of joining the Italian team, and an announcement could be made after the Miami GP.

As the F1 world awaits further developments, one thing is certain: Adrian Newey's departure from Red Bull Racing marks the end of an era. His technical brilliance and innovative designs have left an indelible mark on the sport, and his contributions to Red Bull's success will be remembered for years to come. So much so, the RB19 from 2023 which took Max Verstappen to his 3rd world title won 21 of the 22 racing in the season with the dutchman securing a record breaking 19 wins. This also led to him becoming WCPOTY.