Adrian Newey, one of the most celebrated designers in Formula One history, will leave Red Bull next year.
Red Bull confirmed that the 65-year-old Briton, considered to be the mastermind behind the team’s unprecedented dominance of the sport, is set to end his two-decade stay in the “first quarter of 2025”.
The news is set to spark a bidding war for Newey’s services, with Ferrari – soon to be joined by Lewis Hamilton – in pole position to sign him.
Newey’s departure also places further pressure on Red Bull team principal Christian Horner.
Horner paid tribute to Newey describing him as a “true legend” and hailing his “vision and brilliance”.
Horner said: “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.
“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.”
Newey, who is expected to be in Miami for this weekend’s race, said: “Ever since I was a young boy, I wanted to be a designer of fast cars. My dream was to be an engineer in Formula One, and I’ve been lucky enough to make that dream a reality.
“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.”
As Newey is free to join another team when he leaves Red Bull it paves the way for him to have an impact on the 2026 car for whichever team he joins. The next major change in regulations is due in 2026 and having Newey on board would give his next employers a significant advantage.
McLaren and Mercedes are understood not to be interested in Newey while the PA news agency understands he is unlikely to join Aston Martin leaving Ferrari as the frontrunner
Newey’s departure comes in the wake of Horner being accused of “inappropriate behaviour” by a female employee. He was exonerated by Red Bull’s parent company GmbH on the eve of last month’s curtain raiser in Bahrain and has always denied the claims.
It remains to be seen what effect Newey’s Red Bull exit will have on the team’s superstar driver Max Verstappen. The three-time world champion has refused on multiple occasions to confirm he will remain with the team beyond this year.