Adrian Newey is leaving Red Bull. The information was published by the German website Auto Motor und Sport (AMuS) and confirmed by Motorsport.com.
The publication reports that the designer’s contract runs until the end of 2025, but that the Brit himself hopes that the agreement can be terminated after this season. Insiders report to AMuS that Ferrari is set to become his new employer.
There have been rumors for some time that Newey would like to leave Red Bull. Despite only signing a new contract with Red Bull last year, Newey’s future at the Milton Keynes team has been the subject of intense speculation in recent weeks.
Red Bull is still embroiled in an internal power struggle between the Thai side of the business, which supports team boss Christian Horner, and the Austrian side, including team advisor Helmut Marko.
The issue came to light at the start of the 2024 season following an internal investigation into allegations of misconduct by Horner against a female employee, an investigation that dismissed the allegations against the 50-year-old. Newey appears to be uneasy about the situation at Red Bull and the saga surrounding Horner, which has led to a shock decision to inform team management that he has decided to leave.
Newey himself would not agree with this, and would have demanded to remain involved with the F1 team. Ferrari wants to give that guarantee, so he can leave for Maranello. O Motorsport.com revealed earlier this season that Aston Martin Racing had also made a bid.
With Newey’s possible arrival, Ferrari team boss Frederic Vasseur is taking the next step in creating his own top team. The first piece of the puzzle was signing Lewis Hamilton. The Mercedes driver arrives at the end of the season and, together with Charles Leclerc, should take Ferrari back to the top of the premier class of motorsport. Bringing in a top designer like Newey is the next step in the process.
The composition Vasseur has in mind is reminiscent of the way Ferrari was built at the beginning of this century. At the time, then team principal Jean Todt, along with driver Michael Schumacher and technical director Ross Brawn, were an almost unbeatable combination. Between 2000 and 2004, the team managed to win the title for four consecutive seasons.
