Adrian Newey’s impact on Red Bull “will echo through the halls” at the team’s headquarters, according to team principal Christian Horner.
The legendary designer has negotiated an early release from his contract and will leave Red Bull in the first quarter of 2025, in part due to a weakening in his relationship with Horner over recent seasons. Newey’s next move has not yet been announced but he has been linked with Ferrari, Aston Martin, Mercedes and McLaren, and has not stated a desire to leave Formula 1.
While Red Bull has prepared for Newey’s eventual departure by securing the futures of key members of its current technical team — including a long-term contract extension for technical director Pierre Wache earlier this year — Horner admits the legacy that Newey will leave behind is a massive one.
“All of our greatest moments from the past 20 years have come with Adrian’s hand on the technical tiller,” Horner said. “His vision and brilliance have helped us to 13 titles in 20 seasons.
“His exceptional ability to conceptualize 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 [Red Bull’s first road-going hypercar] will be a fitting testament and legacy to his time with us.”
Newey had already won 12 titles — six each in terms of drivers’ and constructors’ championships — across Williams and McLaren prior to joining Red Bull, leaving him with a record of 12 constructors’ success with three different teams and 13 drivers’ titles.