Red Bull’s chief technical officer Adrian Newey, widely regarded as one of Formula 1’s greatest designers, is to leave the team according to multiple reports.
The departure of Newey would be a major blow for Red Bull, as he has led the design department which created some of F1’s most dominant cars.The team enjoyed four consecutive years of championship success between 2010 and 2013. Red Bull ended Mercedes’ domination of the V6 hybrid turbo era when Max Verstappen won the drivers’ championship in 2021 and has been the team to beat ever since.
Horner joined Red Bull in 2006 when team principal Christian Horner lured him away from McLaren. Newey was convinced to join the team by David Coulthard, whom he worked with at McLaren before the driver joined Red Bull during its debut season in 2005.
However Newey’s future at Red Bull has been at the centre of speculation since Horner became the subject of allegations about his conduct. An internal investigation cleared Horner in March, but the complainant is understood to have brought an appeal against its outcome.
Newey, 65, would be a target for any team if he intends to continue working in motorsport. In addition to McLaren he also previously designed cars for Williams and March’s F1 and IndyCar operations.
Rumours have already linked him to Ferrari, where he would form a super-team with seven-times champion Lewis Hamilton, who will join them next year, as well as highly-rated multiple race-winner Charles Leclerc.
Mercedes, which has struggled to master the latest generation of technical regulations, would also highly prize Newey’s services. Aston Martin has also been tipped as a potential destination for Newey, as owner Lawrence Stroll has demonstrated both the ambition and the financial muscle to secure the services of a man whose F1 cars have won championships for decades.
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Anderson llorts
25th April 2024, 16:34
He is going to Aston Martin that’s why Alonso signed with them again.
Mark Thomson (@melthom)
26th April 2024, 11:03
Now we have a Technical Director silly season for the first time.
David West
26th April 2024, 14:11
Or maybe Ferrari which is why Hamilton signed for them.
Alberto
26th April 2024, 16:32
Or Sauber which is why Hulkenberg signed for them. /s/
RR
26th April 2024, 17:20
Wherever he is going, it is silly to leave the very best team with the best resources because, as is reported, of the Horner saga. He is leaving on moral grounds (Horner is unfaithful to his wife)? Or other grounds such as solidarity with the woman in question?
It doesn’t make any sense. Just shows you can be the world’s best engineer in your field, but need help with inter-personal and lifestyle issues.
neil
27th April 2024, 13:23
It is stated that the PA was also his PA, and in his book, Newey is very moral on this type of thing.
Jere (@jerejj)
25th April 2024, 16:41
If he were to leave, his impact on RB21 would only be relatively minimal, given how early into next year’s design & development phase all teams are at this time of year.
Edvaldo
25th April 2024, 17:39
yeah, it would still be a great car, just like Williams FW19.
Nick T.
26th April 2024, 2:19
And just like Alonso and Hamilton’s cars at McLaren.
grat
25th April 2024, 18:22
But the impact on the 2026 car cannot be underestimated. If he went to Ferrari, we could actually see Hamilton hit #8 in 2026.
Kata
25th April 2024, 18:56
Sure and sure, and then comes the big question some fans apparently know when it comes to Verstappen: Is it the car or the driver?
cdfemke (@cdfemke)
26th April 2024, 0:52
We always knew with lewis and he has confirmed that lately
Moshambles (@moshambles)
26th April 2024, 8:04
Do you rate Alonso?
Nick T.
26th April 2024, 2:18
As always, F1 is mostly the car, but a great driver can turn a maybe (Max in 2021) into a WDC and a long shot into a maybe (Alonso at Ferrari).
MadMax (@madmax)
26th April 2024, 8:49
2021 shouldnt be brought up as an example. this one was gifted by the RD
Phil Taylor
26th April 2024, 12:43
A race is won over an entire season, not just one race. The result of the 2021 AD GP is questionable at worst, but Max won the 2021 title by being the better driver over the whole season. And I say this as a rabid LH fan.
N
26th April 2024, 20:35
Absolute nonsense. A title is won over a season, yes, and they both drove in a way which lead them to be equal going into a final decider race. Nothing more, nothing less.
Verstappen botched his qualifying, Hamilton didn’t, and Hamilton lead the race comfortably until it was ripped from under his feet.
‘questionable at worst’ is one of the most insane ways you can possibly view what happened that day.
G
27th April 2024, 8:10
@N
They didn’t drive in an equal way to be level on points. Lewis made numerous mistakes and underperformed occasionally, he only got to AD level on points by being saved by red flags twice and taking out his direct rival. Max finished either 1st or 2nd in the races he could and didn’t DNF through mechanical issues or being taken out by a Mercedes.
N
27th April 2024, 12:40
@G
Your bias is getting in the way of the point here. They were equal on points going into the final race, therefore by definition they both did whatever they did to end up in that position. Max didn’t have to go side by side Silverstone., for example. that was his choice. They both made choices throughout the season that lead them both to be equal into AD.
“Lewis made numerous mistakes and underperformed occasionally”
What, and you’re going to ignore Verstappen parking his car on Hamiltons head in Monza, or slamming his car into the wall in Saudi qualifying and then using his car as a weapon in the race, what about locking up on his optimal tire in AD qualifying and handing the strategic advantage to Hamilton, these arn’t mistakes to you, right? You don’t think going side by side with Hamilton in Silverstone was a mistake on his part either? Remember in Spain when Verstappen went for the overtake into Turn 1 and Hamilton had to avoid him to stop a collision? Hamilton re-joined and retook the position later to win the race, after the race Horner said ‘its lucky Lewis got out of the way there or he’d have ended up in the barriers’ – thought-provoking words from Horner there, no?
G
27th April 2024, 15:57
@N
What mistake did Max make at Silverstone? He left more than a car width on the inside and no less than Leclerc did in ’21 & ’22. Lewis under steered out of the space given to make contact (he had a wheel on the inside kerb twice against Leclerc), caused a red flag, then got to repair his car, change tyres and won the race.
Car 44 [Hamilton] was on a line that did not reach the apex of the corner, with room available to the inside. When car 33 turned into the corner, car 44 did not avoid contact and the left front of car 44 contacted the right rear of car 33. Car 44 is judged predominantly at fault.
2021 British Grand Prix stewards document 50
Lewis did not deserve to be level on points at AD. He lucked into a red flag at Imola to bag 18 points after sliding into the gravel then tearing his front wing off trying to get out of it (a lap down) and again at Silverstone to claim 26 points with the added bonus of seeing his main rival score 0.
safeeuropeanhome (@debaser91)
25th April 2024, 21:25
It’s a nice idea but 1) there’s no way on earth that Red Bull lets him go before the end of his contract and 2) he will be put on gardening leave and won’t be able to have much if any impact on the car for 2026 given how early they are/will be working on them. Earliest he could stamp his input on the car design would be for 2027.
JackL
25th April 2024, 19:06
It could be more than that. The morale impact of Newey leaving would be huge.
Dale
25th April 2024, 22:42
Indeed
All those other highly skilled and qualified RBR people must be thrilled about eventually getting some credit for all their hard work and IP, that has gone unnoticed for years while the media painted the narrative of ‘Newey cars’ being so good.
Nick T.
26th April 2024, 2:55
lol, people like you crack me up. Newey cars have been the best in the field or at worst the second best and that usually due to unreliability or a weak engine since literally 1992. Without the Merc engine advantage, a Newey chassis could feasibility won every single WDC since 2007, but yeah, those people deserve so much more credit!
MacLeod (@macleod)
26th April 2024, 7:51
If you have watched interviews With Adrian Newey himself he always says his design team does the most work and he is only the supervisor and work himself on small parts like the suspension of the RB19/RB20. So everyone important enough to run racing teams knows them too and would pick them up without a heartbeat.
Adrian downplay his part on the aero part a lot ….
Ambrogio Isgro
26th April 2024, 9:38
Yes, but as a supervisor he know exactly how to address the aero problems in a project and that Is what other teams needs most.
Nick T.
26th April 2024, 19:49
Of course he’s going to say that. What kind of idiot would say “yeah, it’s all me. My staff is useless!”
Finally, of course all teams’ full staffs are necessary to execute any vision, but they’re not the critical factor.
Nick T.
26th April 2024, 19:49
Of course he’s going to say that. What kind of fool would say “yeah, it’s all me. My staff is useless!”
Finally, of course all teams’ full staffs are necessary to execute any vision, but they’re not the critical factor.
Nick T.
26th April 2024, 2:58
It’s pretty hilarious how much Jos and Helmut’s gambit to wrest control from Horner has backfired. They’ve basically destroyed the greatest team in F1 history.
Mayrton
26th April 2024, 7:27
I can’t believe we are doing rumour articles here.
Mr B
26th April 2024, 8:26
I always thought there was a genuine love and deep admiration for Dietrich Mateschitz from those within the Red Bull F1 hierarchy. If it is true that one of the teams greatest assets is leaving, and may also cause other great assets to leave, as a result of internal power struggle after his death that would seem tragic. Especially after everything they built together in one of the world’s most competitive environments over recent years.
MadMax (@madmax)
26th April 2024, 8:42
if the team falls apart, then its the result of the internal toxic climate
Dave The Drummer (@davethedrummer)
26th April 2024, 9:06
This. Absolutely this.
Mr B
26th April 2024, 9:16
This is a team that’s had a stable management structure and organisation for years suggesting that there was no toxicity, or at least not one strong enough to break up the team.
The most notable thing that has changed recently is the passing of Dietrich.
If an internal power struggle after his passing leads to some form of demise of the team I would consider that a sorry affront to the legacy he deserved.
Everyone should be pulling together for team success in respect of a man who gave them and F1 so much.
Nick T.
26th April 2024, 19:51
Toxicity tends to break out when a peace maker like Dieter is no longer around. So, I think it’s obvious DM was a MASSIVE loss.
Mayrton
27th April 2024, 9:36
That’s the thing. There is no internal toxic climate. It’s outside, fabricated by those unable to accept the success of the team. Sheep following the media.
Neil
27th April 2024, 13:24
Strange, this is all on Horner
Ben
25th April 2024, 16:42
Lots of dots now starting to connect. He’s going to Aston Martin and Verstappen will also sign for 2026. They are going all in this time.
Dex
25th April 2024, 23:22
Poor Junior in that case. I expect he’d eventually quit. First Alonso, then Verstappen which is even worse… But if he’d stay I’d applaud his persistence and thick skin.
ryanoceros (@ryanoceros)
25th April 2024, 23:38
Interesting. Where do you think Alonso would move to?
osnola
26th April 2024, 14:35
Team leader, replacing krack.
Tone
26th April 2024, 1:07
Aston Martin bought by an absurdly rich man so his talentless son can get a race seat. Do we seriously believe this is the type of team that Newey would go for?
CarWars (@maxv)
26th April 2024, 6:33
Do you think you get to be that rich without being ruthless?. Sr. will junior out in favor of alsonso and max. Stroll has build a significant infrastructure and invested heavily.Newey can have nice time designing aston martin road cars and stay in Britain. It could all make sense.
Going to Ferrari, if he believes they are going towards a good reorganization then Newey could get a similar deal there. Ferrari for sure have all the infrastructure to make it work. Design Ferrari, with the added benifit to moving to comfortable Italy.
MichaelN
26th April 2024, 13:37
That’s rather unfair. Stroll was already involved in F1 and motorsport more generally, such as with Circuit Mont-Tremblant, when Lance was still a toddler.
SjaakFoo (@sjaakfoo)
25th April 2024, 16:42
Honda and Newey to Aston Martin, only a matter of time until they get Max too.
Mike Davies (@nanotech)
25th April 2024, 16:44
Can you imagine a Max/Lance double-billing, in a dominant Newey car? It would bring me so much guilty pleasure.
The Dolphins
25th April 2024, 16:55
@nanotech that made me laugh out loud. It does bring to light the interesting dynamic with Fernando who is a big supporter of Max but has also made it quite clear he is still in the sport to win.. will Stroll Sr. put his son aside for a year to pair Fernando with Max, will sparks fly?
Sonny Crockett (@sonnycrockett)
25th April 2024, 17:03
Max and Fernando to drive, with Lance performing chores for the team that suit his particular skillset e.g. pushing people over when he’s angry and/or pouting petulantly.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
25th April 2024, 22:11
I guess stroll’s particular niche will be useful with engineers who don’t do what you tell them!
Crawliin-from-the-wreckage (@davedai)
26th April 2024, 0:06
Lighting!
Hair!
Makeup!
It’s all an essential part of the F1 show. Just as important as driving.
PacificPR (@streydt)
25th April 2024, 16:50
Think so too. But Max? Not sure, they have just signed Fernando (who probably knew about this before signing) – I just can’t see them let Lance go.. unless they will acquire a B team as well (but Alpine and team up Tsunoda with Lance?) who knows.
David BR (@david-br)
25th April 2024, 21:51
@sjaakfoo Why on earth would Newey want to be working for the same team as the Verstappens ever again?
Mayrton
26th April 2024, 8:22
I guess the most obvious reason is that a person who designs cars with the intend for them to be the fastest of the field would be eager to have the fastest driver around in it, to be able to truly assess the car.
David BR (@david-br)
26th April 2024, 10:41
Newey is most certainly leaving Red Bull now because of the infighting. Verstappen Sr (and arguably Jr too) were vocal in wanting Horner to leave ‘for the sake of team harmony’ and thus aligned with Marko. Whatever happens with the complaint versus Horner, that dispute had been leveraged for political (and ultimately economic) purposes by other parties. That’s blown apart a team enjoying the maximum success possible in Formula 1. Again, why work with anyone capable of destroying all your hard work in building up a team and designing a supreme car? Makes no sense. And sorry, Hamilton, maybe even Leclerc, are just as good as Max. Both together?
Mayrton
27th April 2024, 9:42
You present a lot of assumptions as facts. Unless you are part of the team you just don’t know how the internal team dynamic is. Chances are big you just mimic the media which clearly has an agenda.
David BR (@david-br)
28th April 2024, 18:40
Maryton, obviously there are only assumptions, guesses, speculations. But we do know that (a) Newey and his team were the ones who designed the multiple championship winning car and (b) the Red Bull infighting exists and seems to centre around ousting Horner. Other facts will probably only appear years down the line when people feel freer to talk. I suggest you compare and contrast the harmony built up in the era of Mercedes dominance with the fact that Red Bull has begun to self-implode before the start of their third dominant season. Also that didn’t happen during their first period of dominance when Vettel was there. So who’s the disruptive influence? Kind of obvious to join the dots.
The Dolphins
25th April 2024, 16:45
It seems to me this leaves the door open for Christian to follow him out (or be tossed out through.)
I do wonder, if Adrian is planning on going to another team, what the realistic time frame for his impact to be seen at any team. If he was to hand in his resignation today and be put on gardening leave he would not be able to start any work on a 2025 car at another team. At best he could work on improving the 2025 car during the course of the year but would that make sense in terms of financial and wind tunnel budget or would it make more sense to allocate those resources to the 2026 campaign?
SjaakFoo (@sjaakfoo)
25th April 2024, 16:51
There’s going to be at least one year of gardening leave, so any impact would be for 2027 onwards.
The Dolphins
25th April 2024, 16:58
@sjaakfoo gardening leave cannot exceed six months legally
Tifoso1989 (@tifoso1989)
25th April 2024, 17:06
It depends on the notice period in the employment contract.
Andy
25th April 2024, 17:12
You must be new to F1 @tifoso1989. Contracts are broken all the time and always have been. It’s just a matter of how much money changes hands to facilitate it.
The Dolphins
25th April 2024, 17:21
@Andy he is not new to F1 and those types of comments are unnecessary to prove a point. Yes, it’s true contracts can be bought out and it’s reasonable to assume in this situation, given the characters at play, it’s highly unlikely for a sum of money to be large enough to buy out Adrian’s contract to bypass a gardening leave.
SteveP
25th April 2024, 20:28
In these sort of instances, the gardening leave and notice period tend to run concurrently rather than consecutively.
The Dolphins
25th April 2024, 17:02
@sjaakfoo not knowing when Adrian’s contract with Red Bull ends, Red Bull may be able to place him on leave for the duration of his contract unless they can extend his contract prior to the 6 month period of leave.
notagrumpyfan
25th April 2024, 20:33
End of 2025 I understood.
I luv chicken
25th April 2024, 21:07
Gardening leave? To what end? To keep him from getting design info from himself? He’s probably got designs for Ferrari, Mercs, and AM, already tucked into the back of his head. Just needs to hit the print button, on the 3D printer and V I O L A!
Bullfrog (@bullfrog)
25th April 2024, 22:10
A viola? Oops, that must be Ferrari’s new HP printer.
Bullfrog (@bullfrog)
25th April 2024, 17:06
Can you imagine what he’d build in his shed?
SjaakFoo (@sjaakfoo)
25th April 2024, 20:00
A boat, probably
I luv chicken
25th April 2024, 21:08
I hope it’s not nuclear, with a fuse.
MichaelN
26th April 2024, 13:41
Newey will be about 70 by then.
If he indeed leaves Red Bull, is it really feasible to have him commit medium term, say four years or so, to another team?
An advisory role might be more realistic.
johns
26th April 2024, 3:00
didnt F1 say you cant start the 2016 car early?
MacLeod (@macleod)
26th April 2024, 7:57
Yes but that is only for teams if Adrian goes to his shed for gardening he can design the 2026 car and noone can stop him …. Then he can sells his design to the highest bidder LOL
Nick T.
26th April 2024, 19:55
I’d like to see Horner replace Krack at Aston Martin.
SteveP
25th April 2024, 16:53
IF he’s going, and there’s just chat/gossip so far really, the IF he’s going then it’s the Horner politics that are the root cause. He’s well known for not liking the politics that tend to arise in various organisations.
Yaru (@yaru)
25th April 2024, 19:04
Current reports are he is not a fan of how the Horner investigation was handled.
SteveP
25th April 2024, 20:31
The list of people who are fans of the way it’s been handled so far wouldn’t use much ink.
bernasaurus (@bernasaurus)
25th April 2024, 20:42
Ha! Very true
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
25th April 2024, 22:22
Ahah, indeed, sadly for them one of the most important people isn’t a fan either and that could be very costly for red bull.
stefano (@alfa145)
26th April 2024, 0:34
I trust this site enough to expect more than gossip to be reported. It goes very slow on such news, so there’s surely some truth on this
Nick T.
26th April 2024, 19:58
That sounds like a Marko “leak.” I’m sure it’s all the unpleasant infighting led by Jos and Helmut that’s blown the whole thing up. The fallout from Dieter’s death has come quickly. No longer having him around as the ultimate authority, but one who always seemed above the politics as a peacemaker has been terrible for the team.
SteveP
25th April 2024, 16:56
Hey, maybe Andretti is signing him up…
Napier Railton (@napierrailton)
25th April 2024, 18:46
If Andretti signed him, the cars still wouldn’t be “good enough” to get on the grid.
SteveP
25th April 2024, 20:38
If GM get the proverbial finger out and make a PU for it, I’d say it would fulfil the FOM requirements.
The stumbling block for that bid, so far, is that the special value of the bid is centred round a big dollop of “additional PU manufacturer” magic that will be absent until GM can put a PU into Andretti hands to fit in the chassis.
Retep
25th April 2024, 21:17
I got the impression that Andretti would have not been allowed to participate in F1 no matter what, the PU thing looked like just an excuse to block his entry.
MacLeod (@macleod)
26th April 2024, 8:01
Right now he could show up and race as he has the FIA ok but he would get no price money BUT the FOM must be very carefull othewrwise they get a European monopoly Lawsuit against and the FOM won’t like that…
Sonny Crockett (@sonnycrockett)
25th April 2024, 16:56
He’s always been too good for the cesspool that is Red Bull.
Quite right that he should (allegedly) want to distance himself from the recent allegations.
Nick T.
26th April 2024, 20:01
It’s not the allegations. It’s the infighting. I’m sure he’ll be running toward the class act known as Toto who throws his entire team under the bus to soothe Lewis’ ego.
Tifoso1989 (@tifoso1989)
25th April 2024, 17:00
Apart from Horner’s shenanigans, if Newey has indeed chosen to depart from the team, it likely stems from RBR’s uncertain ability to deliver a competitive power unit in 2026. The manner in which the RBR camp, led by Horner and Verstappen, is already lobbying for regulation changes indicates that the feedback from Ford isn’t promising. They have got cocky partnering with Ford and now they’re paying for it.
As for Newey, we already know that Ferrari’s offer for his services back in 2014 was insane… and Elkann would likely have no issue doubling down on it if necessary. It only depends on Newey’s will to work for Ferrari. This marks the beginning of the end for RBR’s winning cycle, we may not have to wait long to hear about Verstappen’s move to Mercedes in 2026.
Charlie Racing
25th April 2024, 18:58
He will not make a move for 2026 and instead will look at where each team (and enginesupplier) is at in 2026
André
25th April 2024, 19:15
I think if Newey leaves RBR, it could well be the end of the team, because they won’t have the genius designer to compensate for a poor engine. Max will leave as well, and lots of engineers will see the writing on the wall and move elsewhere. Then the value of sustaining a team that will only crumble into the future will not be justifiable. It will go up for sale, maybe become Ford something and limp in the midfield for the next decade.
David BR (@david-br)
25th April 2024, 21:57
@tifoso1989 Why the assumption that Newey sees Horner as the problem? Not the politicking from Verstappen Senior and co. to get rid of him? The latter destabilized the team. Newey delivered the most dominant car ever in Formula 1 and they’re squabbling over the spoils. Coolest decision ever to just leave them all with their faces in the mud. Surely one huge advantage of going to Ferrari, if he wants to carry on in Formula 1, is avoiding the Verstappens for the foreseeable future.
Maybe I’m wrong. But if so, nothing makes sense.
Nick T.
26th April 2024, 3:01
This disaster seems to point squarely at Jos and Helmut rather than Christian Horny. They tried to wrest control from Horner and its backfired catastrophically.
David BR (@david-br)
26th April 2024, 10:44
Well, precisely. The extrapolation of an internal disciplinary issue into a media and team meltdown wasn’t down to Horner. And Newey – long term friend (I presume) and associate of the latter isn’t going to be unaware of that fact, whatever he might think personally of the original issue. That kind of disruption is toxic and won’t go away with the Verstappens changing teams.
MichaelN
26th April 2024, 13:46
That’s giving Jos Verstappen way too much credit. His comments in Saudi Arabia were much more about not wanting to destabilise the team that works very well, and singling out Horner and his antics as the source of the recent uncertainty and instability. To go from that to some usurpation scheme it’s quite a reach, and not at all something that matches Jos’ long history of lacking a long term perspective.
osnola
26th April 2024, 14:41
You are bringing interpretations as facts.
Yes, verstappen senior was not enthousiast by the way RB handled the supposed infranctions.
But who was?
We know form the same “sources” Newey was not happy with Horner. So rumours and politics..
Nick T.
27th April 2024, 23:21
We don’t know anything from so called “sources.” Sources could be no one to Marko and Jos. So, not sources.
MacLeod (@macleod)
26th April 2024, 8:04
Adrian doesn’t like politics and you can say Ferrari is one of those teams were there is a lot of politics…… otherwise he was already with Ferrari.
David BR (@david-br)
26th April 2024, 12:37
@macleod Politics is inevitable. The questions is whether the setup at Ferrari is stable for the foreseeable future and what assurances they could give. Vasseur, Hamilton and Elkann all line up well. The Hamilton-Leclerc driver pairing could be a source of tension but neither driver is highly ‘political’ (compared to Alonso, Button, the Verstappens or Sainz, say) and both tend to focus on their racing. But there’s also Mercedes (maybe too pre-set in its ways), McLaren (maybe tempting: good drivers, plenty of resources, past experience and almost there in terms of performance) or retirement.
Billys (@bilarxos)
25th April 2024, 17:09
I believe it’s going to Ferrari.
Not a long time ago I read one interview of him saying that he is regretting that he never worked for Ferrari in his career.
With that regret in the back of his mind and with the surprise move to Ferrari of Sir Lewis Hamilton as inspiration of a dream come true, the possibility of that move to realised it is not far fetched.
Chris Horton
25th April 2024, 18:13
Please stop saying ‘Sir’ Lewis Hamilton everyone.
It might be correct, but it’s cringey. I highly doubt he refers to himself that way.
Nick T.
27th April 2024, 23:22
It’s beyond cringe. Luckily, I see very people say it here.
Salty (@salty)
25th April 2024, 18:46
Yep, Adrian did recently say he regretted never having worked with Ferrari, Lewis and Fernando. Adrian is the greatest F1 designer, it would be amazing to see him help push the Scuderia to a new high. Forza Adrian.
David BR (@david-br)
25th April 2024, 21:04
@bilarxos Me too. He’s already been the most massively successful F1 designer ever. What’s left? Just Ferrari.
AM with Stroll and Stroll and Alonso? Can’t see it for all the money they try to throw at the deal.
Asd
25th April 2024, 17:12
I will not be able to handle Hamilton being given by Newy another dominant car at Ferrari!! This guy has been too lucky for most of his career!! PLEASE NO!!
Moi
25th April 2024, 18:25
IF Newey goes to Ferrari and
IF he then builds a dominant car again and
IF Ferrari don’t pull a Ferrari in some other way …
… he will still lose to Leclerc
miciek (@micio)
25th April 2024, 23:26
You mean Leclerc who is one of the most overrated drivers on the grid?
osnola
26th April 2024, 14:43
Nope, thats his brother.
Mayrton
27th April 2024, 10:05
I agree with the both of you. I feel Lewis has had his share of luck. If Alonso would have gone to Mercedes back then he would now be looking at 8 to 9 WDC titles and Lewis would be at 1. With the same skills set and with his same greatness and being one of the better ones out there. The car is just this vital. His tally is largely flattered by the material he has had. But given he did make that brilliant move to Mercedes back then and Alonso didn’t… he will probably be lucky again. Some people just have that sense, which is their merit in itself. Beating Leclerc will be a challenge though, especially looking at how he fares vs a less gifted George.
Neil
27th April 2024, 13:28
All Alonso fault, he has being pretty toxic behaviour in a lot of teams, Merc would not have wanted him, he cost them 100 million.
Nick T.
27th April 2024, 23:27
So toxic that he’s been resigned by every single team he’s raced for so far besides Ferrari. The toxicity claim is the biggest joke I’ve ever heard.
Wes
25th April 2024, 21:12
He’s been lucky but also rather smart with his team choices, everyone was saying he was done when he announced the move to Merc. But there’s a reason he’s the top choice for every team, it’s because he is a top talent, man outdrove prime Alonso in his rookie season and has driven some unbelievable performances. 2008 British gp, 2018 Singapore, 2020 Turkey, and many many more.
Yaru (@yaru)
25th April 2024, 22:07
You don’t become a seven time world champion by being lucky especially given everyone and their brother were screaming how stupid of a move McLaren to Mercedes was back then.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
25th April 2024, 22:28
He had info no one else had about how good mercedes would be, he has 3,5x more titles than alonso and he’s at best level with him in terms of performance, that should say enough about how lucky he’s been with career choices.
miciek (@micio)
25th April 2024, 23:29
That’s not true. There’s always lots of insider information coming from different teams. Right now I am sure at least 5 teams are building the hype around their chances for 2026.
It’s always easy from the hindsight.
Nick T.
26th April 2024, 3:03
It would be sickening if Lewis gets Newey. His career started with a Newey chassis, then a Brawn chassis and dominant engine for a decade and if it ends with a Newey chassis, it’d be disgusting.
David BR (@david-br)
26th April 2024, 12:43
Weird choice of final word. Wonder what ‘disgusts’ you exactly.
Neil
27th April 2024, 13:29
Especially when he hasnt got a clue what he is onabout. McLaren in 2007 had no Newey chassis.
Nick T.
27th April 2024, 23:24
It was a Newey legacy chassis. Basically, McLaren had just continued to develop. So, talk about having zero clue what you’re “on about.”
David West
26th April 2024, 14:14
Yeah losing 3 WDCs due to reliability issues, FIA changing the rules mid race is so lucky.
roadrunner (@roadrunner)
26th April 2024, 17:28
3?
Maybe 2016, but where are the other 2?
Tiaki Porangi
27th April 2024, 3:22
Lucky in Cadet Karts.
Lucky in Intercontinental Karts.
Lucky in Formula Yamaha Karts.
Lucky in Formula A Karts.
Lucky in Formula Renault.
Lucky in F3.
Lucky in GP2.
Lucky in F1.
Yeah, right. Hamilton must be the luckiest person in the history of the universe!
Mayrton
27th April 2024, 10:21
Lewis is a gifted driver and one of the better ones in history. The point here is not about his level of driving and whether he deserves to be in F1, but it is about his luck. Nobody can deny that had Alonso made the move to Mercedes back then, he would now have 8 to 9 WDC titles (depending on whether Rosberg would also be able to steal one from Alonso) and Lewis tally would still be at a single WDC. So this doesn’t belittle Lewis, but it does provide some perspective. Definitely not the best, but one of the more gifted drivers in history for sure.
Nick T.
27th April 2024, 23:25
Exactly. That was literally my only point.
bull mello (@bullmello)
25th April 2024, 17:12
Maybe Newey might retire permanently.
Or go to another team. Aston Martin as folks mentioned that. With Honda too. AM would need him too.
Newey is a great designer and he could what he what he wants to do.
Red Bull will change. Horner might be gone too. Ford arrives in 2026. Losing Honda and Newey could be changing their status to race at the front.
Nulla Pax (@nullapax)
25th April 2024, 17:13
Now THIS, is interesting news.
F1Genova (@f1genova)
25th April 2024, 18:20
so the arrival of rearward cameras does’nt tickle your fancy? /s
Nulla Pax (@nullapax)
25th April 2024, 18:29
Well when Newey gets to work with another team, then Red Bull are definitely going to need to keep a watch on what is happening behind them ;)
F1Genova (@f1genova)
25th April 2024, 20:01
nice
lets hope that he REALLY likes red cars (or at least I hope)
Sonny Crockett (@sonnycrockett)
25th April 2024, 17:18
The trouble with this news story is that it’s just too good.
It’s probably 20+ seconds ahead of all of the other news stories.
Typical Newey.
Minardi (@gitanes)
25th April 2024, 17:19
What I’d love to see is both Newey and Sainz confirmed at Aston – which would sort of mean no chance of a Max and Newey combination for the foreseeable future.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
25th April 2024, 22:29
How would that happen? Alonso is there and stroll will not fire his son.
MacLeod (@macleod)
26th April 2024, 8:08
Lawrence isn’t the only owner of the team if they could get Newey and Max Lance is out money talks big money orders.
MichaelN
26th April 2024, 13:49
Lance might well decide it’s time to do something else, get/buy a nice fancy MBA somewhere and just live the billionaire son lifestyle.
For all the criticism he gets, he’s not that bad. He has just hit his ceiling a long time ago.
Tiaki Porangi
25th April 2024, 17:51
Lord, I absolutely love this.
Really want to see how Max does in a car that’s not designed by Newey!
Might help contextualise driver performance for the DTS crowd that seems to dominate F1 article comment sections!
André
25th April 2024, 19:18
Is DTS = Dutch?
Schummel Schumi (@schummelschumi)
26th April 2024, 9:14
Drive to Survive
Retep
25th April 2024, 21:21
In that case I suggest you watch the 2015 season.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
25th April 2024, 22:31
He was good back then too, but indeed we haven’t seen him in a car not designed by newey a lot at all, he had several years in a good but not best car, but apart from 2015 always with newey.
MacLeod (@macleod)
26th April 2024, 8:09
Max drove already in a non Newey car while with Torro Rosso and did rather well.
Neil (@neilosjames)
25th April 2024, 18:23
I don’t think Newey alone is an automatic ‘win button’ capable of turning any team into championship contenders, but I think he’s worth more tenths than any driver.
I’d like to see him go to Audi, that’d be a nice project.
RH
25th April 2024, 19:15
So it starts. Soon Verstappen 🤞
osnola
25th April 2024, 19:49
Interesting rumour.. share it here:
Daddy Perez has connections with carlos Slim. With his support and some of the other sponsors they will be able to support Horner in his bid for the Austrian part of RedBull.
The need to push Verstappen out so in 2025 Perez will be the first driver and that way buys a WDC.
Marko will leave, Newey will leave and max will leave.
Just a rumour of course but a interesting one..
SjaakFoo (@sjaakfoo)
25th April 2024, 20:17
When it smells like you-know-what, it’s you-know-what.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
25th April 2024, 22:34
The problem with this rumors is: red bull will be severely weakened without newey and I’m not all that sure that perez could beat verstappen in which other team he is and might also struggle against hamilton and leclerc at ferrari, as well as norris at mclaren and alonso at aston.
Just make red bull a bit weaker and he’s not beating the others any more, I think.
osnola
26th April 2024, 14:47
Nope, but papa Perez is very sure about that.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
25th April 2024, 22:34
whichever*
MacLeod (@macleod)
26th April 2024, 8:11
Carlos Slim is rich but owns 0% shares while the 51% shares are with the Thai owners and the other 49% with the Austrian owners and both don’t want to sell so how are they getting those shares?
osnola
26th April 2024, 14:46
thats the money part ;)
David BR (@david-br)
25th April 2024, 21:01
Ferrari or ‘retirement’ (lots of racing, designing other stuff, enjoying what he’s achieved).
I’m guessing Ferrari.
RR
25th April 2024, 21:11
He would be a big fool to go to Ferrari. Nothing will happen at Ferrari except heartache and broken dreams.
Strange isn’t it. Everything was going so well at RB. The world was at their feet, then they pulled open the emergency door and jumped out of the plane over the ocean.
And J Saward didnt even see it coming.
Retep
25th April 2024, 21:23
With Vasseur Ferrari appears to get their act slowly but surely together.
RH
26th April 2024, 16:47
I mean, it was all going a bit too good.
Mark (@mrcento)
25th April 2024, 22:28
Hear me out….. (And yes, i think he’s heading to Ferrari to tick the boxes he regrets not doing so far before he retires).
Aston, given his links with the Valkyrie makes sense too.
But, with Sanchez leaving McLaren not long after joining, i wonder if they would/could move heaven and earth to ‘bring him home’. There’s a space in the system, his ex aero guy is there (Prodromu), as is another recent hire Rob Marshall, they have the fancy new state of the art wind tunnel…. maybe returning them to the top could be a challenge that appeals?
Sonny Crockett (@sonnycrockett)
26th April 2024, 11:32
As a McLaren fan, I’m currently praying that this happens!
Stewart
26th April 2024, 12:59
Me too, but maybe he’s altruistic enough that he’d rather help a team that really needs it – like Williams, who have served their time in the boonies long enough to deserve some car design help.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
25th April 2024, 22:37
I think a move to ferrari is more likely (and I’m kinda annoyed that hamilton always gets lucky wherever he moves, or has inside info, cause in terms of performance he’s no better than alonso, yet has 3,5x the titles, and I’m not alonso’s fan), otherwise I guess aston, but he probably wouldn’t want to work with a driver like stroll.
If he goes to ferrari, we’ll have to see if leclerc can maybe sieze a chance for a title, I haven’t been too impressed with him lately, so I’m not as confident as few years ago that he would beat hamilton.
pcxmac (@pcxmac)
26th April 2024, 0:54
LeClerc is too entitled to beat LH. And it explains quite a lot of Ferrari’s under performance when hes the preferred driver. Hes fast on his day, but to be honest, I don’t know how much of that is the car, given Sainz performance on his day.
CP
26th April 2024, 9:13
Lewis battered Alonso as a rookie in fact made him run away. He’s a different league to Alonso no matter what little fan boys say as they proof is in the pudding from when they were teammates in the same car
G
26th April 2024, 20:47
If ‘battering’ him meant finishing equal on points, I’m intrigued to hear your terminology for him if he’d actually finished ’07 with a higher points tally than Alonso?
Aquila_GD
25th April 2024, 22:50
It does spund like he is heading to Aston Martin. Alonso must be licking his lips
Mark (@mrcento)
26th April 2024, 1:38
Side story, The odds of Verstappen moving to Mercedes probably just tumbled.
Between the upcoming regulation changes, Newey allegedly leaving putting them on the backfoot for that and Red Bull/Ford making their own engine in house (totally unproven), suddenly a move to works Mercedes doesn’t look as horrible as it currently does.
Imagine Max going there and winning in the seat Lewis vacated for Ferrari?, oooft. That’s exactly the sort of challenge/incentive/status builder you kinda feel team Verstappen as a whole would probably love to make happen.
Or maybe we’re all missing the obvious.
‘If you’ve got a problem, change your f’ing car’
Toto takes Max AND Newey. Stranger things have happened i guess….
Maciek (@maciek)
26th April 2024, 2:12
I’m highly curious to know what spin will be put on this development by those crowing about Horner having done nothing wrong…
Maciek (@maciek)
26th April 2024, 2:13
Also, major ‘I told you so’ moment for Jos right now
S
26th April 2024, 9:30
Yeah, I’m sure he’s overjoyed at the prospect that one of the primary reasons his son’s car is not just successful, but utterly dominant, may be leaving…
David BR (@david-br)
26th April 2024, 12:29
@fer-no65 Sure because given a choice of Horner or Jos Verstappen as team principal, Newey would definitely want the latter running the show, especially with his own famously good people management skills, team development talent and treatment of women. Maybe the complaint goes ahead into a legal challenge and Horner is indeed forced to leave Red Bull. But that doesn’t explain why Newey would leave now. The far more likely explanation is that he dislikes and doesn’t need the split down the middle of the team. He can go anywhere and leave the rest of the Red Bull bosses to fight like ferrets in a sack.
Ohm (@attakorn)
26th April 2024, 2:59
Maybe we should be rooting for him to retire, we could finally have our 5-team battle for the championship!
Sonny Crockett (@sonnycrockett)
26th April 2024, 11:33
That’s a good point!
Bozlegal
26th April 2024, 4:02
All these people who say hed have to go gardening for a year i dont believe he would have to as he not a redbull racing employee so if he decides to leave rb can try stop him from going to another team but they will have to admit he an rbr employee there for one of there top 3s earners income has just breached there cap over last 3 yrs
Crawliin-from-the-wreckage (@davedai)
26th April 2024, 9:30
Brilliant!
Both your user name when checking profile comes back the same as your comment
“invalid argument”
osnola
26th April 2024, 14:50
Crawliin-from-the-wreckage (@davedai)
26th April 2024, 21:07
Errr when I read on, ” invalid argument”.
I can read.
Either way it’s another BS-like redirect attempt that failed (for once).
Crawliin-from-the-wreckage (@davedai)
26th April 2024, 21:22
Here we go
reachedThe web page at http://0.0.13.5/ might be temporarily down or it may have moved permanently to a new web address.
ERR_INVALID_ARGUMENT
Simples!
Tristan
26th April 2024, 7:08
Waiting for the real news on this… Seen 3 different rumours for where he’s going all by apparently reputable journalists. AM, Merc, Ferrari, I think they’re just guessing.
MacLeod (@macleod)
26th April 2024, 8:14
At this moment it all rumours so I have to ignore this.
MichaelN
26th April 2024, 8:21
When will people stop saying Horner was “cleared”? The internal investigation dismissed the case. This is not the same.
Anyway, Newey will be a valuable addition to any team, even if he’s long since taken more of a managerial role. People like him have a huge pull on others to come work there, and as the results show, he runs a smooth operation.
Tristan
26th April 2024, 8:58
Think of the allegation as a tree in the road of Horner’s career, life, job… You dismiss the allegation and the road is “clear”, nothing stops him moving forward. The exact words weren’t used by Red Bull that Horner is “cleared” but that’s indeed the effect of dismissing the allegation.
I understand that you’ll disagree but that’s the figure of speech.
MichaelN
26th April 2024, 9:37
Sure, there is some ambiguity to the terms. However, an internal HR complaint is the very first formal step in a process such as this. They’ll have looked at potential legal issues, looked at company policy, and not taken any moral (or political) stance.
Rather than clearing the road, to stick with the metaphor, they’ve merely surveyed the scene and established that Horner isn’t necessarily a lost cause. Not yet, anyway.
David West
26th April 2024, 14:15
Newey is going to do what most F1 drivers fail to do, retire while he is at the top. He’s not joining another team.
MichaelN
26th April 2024, 16:45
That sounds plausible, especially with the pretty long ‘post RBR’ period that’s reported to be in his contract. Taking a couple of years off at his age, only to then return to a leadership role in an entirely new setting near age 70? It’s not impossible, but it doesn’t seem likely. It also doesn’t sound like a viable long-term strategy for another team.
It’s more likely that, if he becomes tied to a new team, it’d be more like the sort of advisory role Byrne played at Ferrari well after his normal retirement.
James Bond (@jamesbond)
26th April 2024, 16:40
He is leaving because he will be designing a submarine for the Royal Navy.
David BR (@david-br)
26th April 2024, 17:45
The Guardian report is suggesting that the ‘leaked news’
So now Newey may be part of the munition deployed in the intra-Red Bull power struggle?! The situation there just seems to get more surreal.