Report: Red Bull F1's Legendary Chief Designer Adrian Newey To Leave

Adrian Newey, widely regarded as the greatest car designer in the history of Formula 1, is reportedly considering leaving the Red Bull Racing team. German publication Auto Motor Un Sport and the BBC have both reported on Newey's potential departure, citing dissatisfaction with the internal struggles at Red Bull following the death of its founder, Dietrich Mateschitz.

Newey's cars have won a combined 25 world constructors' and drivers' championships in F1, and he has been instrumental in designing the ground-effect aerodynamics cars that have helped Max Verstappen secure his recent titles. However, the power struggle between Red Bull Racing CEO and team boss Christian Horner and long-time motorsport consultant Helmut Marko has allegedly left Newey feeling uncomfortable and undermined.

The internal conflict at Red Bull has also brought to light allegations against Horner by a female employee for sexually transgressive behaviour, though he was acquitted by the parent company, Red Bull GmbH. While Red Bull's new boss, Oliver Mintzlaff, reportedly wanted Horner out of the team, the Thai investors, who hold a 51% controlling stake, have protected the British team principal.

According to reports, Newey has been increasingly sidelined, focusing more on the RB17 hypercar project, while his design deputy, Pierre Wache, takes on a more active role in day-to-day operations. Although Newey's contract runs through 2025, he has reportedly signalled his intention to leave and is negotiating an early exit with a reduced gardening leave, which may involve financial sacrifices on his part.

Before joining McLaren, where he designed championship-winning cars for Mika Hakkinen, Newey was instrumental in designing the groundbreaking active aerodynamics-laden cars that Williams had in the early 1990s, which dominated F1 at the time enabling Prost and Mansell to win titles.

Newey joined Red Bull Racing in 2005 when the team acquired the Jaguar outfit from Ford. Under Newey's guidance, Red Bull Racing dominated the sport from 2010 to 2013, with Sebastian Vettel winning four consecutive world championships, which led to multiple overtures from Ferrari that nearly came to fruition.

During the turbo-hybrid era, which began in 2014, Newey's brilliance was somewhat hindered by Renault's uncompetitive engine, allowing Mercedes to gain the upper hand and enabling Lewis Hamilton to win six of his seven world titles between 2014 and 2020. It wasn't until 2021, when Red Bull switched to Honda power, that the team was able to properly compete with Mercedes, leading to Verstappen's controversial first title win.

With the introduction of ground-effect cars, Newey's experience has been crucial in creating two of the greatest F1 cars of all time – the RB18 and RB19. The RB20 is expected to follow in their footsteps and potentially secure another world title this year.

Several teams have reportedly approached Newey, with Ferrari making a lucrative offer that includes a role as a technical consultant and involvement in the road car business. This arrangement could allow Newey to work with Lewis Hamilton, who is set to join the Italian team alongside Charles Leclerc next year under the leadership of Fred Vasseur, who is aiming to revolutionise the underperforming F1 icon that hasn't won a world title in 16 years. Ferrari has also allegedly offered Newey a salary rivalling that of a superstar driver.

Aston Martin, backed by Saudi Aramco and billionaire Lawrence Stroll, has also made a substantial offer to Newey, though he has reportedly declined. If he were to accept the offer, he would have the opportunity to work with Fernando Alonso, who has signed with the team until at least 2026, and his former Red Bull design prodigy, Dan Fallows, who joined Aston Martin a couple of years ago. Aston Martin will also benefit from Honda power, which Red Bull is set to lose from 2026 onwards.

If Newey decides to leave Red Bull Racing, he may choose to join Mercedes, the well-funded Audi project (currently the Sauber Stake F1 team), or potentially retire from the sport altogether, given his age of 65.

As the rumours surrounding Newey's future continue to circulate, the world of Formula 1 eagerly awaits the next chapter in the career of one of the sport's most influential figures. His departure from Red Bull Racing could significantly impact the team's future success and potentially reshape the competitive landscape of the sport.