Adrian Newey exits Red Bull
This was news we all as F1 fans could have never imagined to materialize but it is here and it has happened. Everyone to their battle stations! It’s fucking happening. Red Bull is officially crumbling and they chose a random Wednesday to drop this fucking bombshell. Come and join me as I go through all the current news on the situation and give my expert opinion.
On this lovely Wednesday May 1st, 2024, Adrian Newey, Chief Technical Officer, who is responsible for 14 championship winning cars with numerous teams is officially leaving Red Bull Racing effective immediately. This is news we all have heard whispers and rumors about but nothing official had happened until today. The main reasoning for Newey’s departure is the ongoing turmoil regarding the team principal Christian Horner’s sexual assault allegations. These are still technically allegations but the dark cloud over this issue as well the leaks of messages has a lot of people at discomfort and Adrian Newey is one of those. He leaves Red Bull after 18 years with the team. Many teams have already been in talks with Newey to secure him for the 2026 season. These three frontrunners are Mercedes, Ferrari, and Aston Martin. How would each team look for Newey? I’ll explain.
Mercedes: Newey at Mercedes makes sense for only one reason. Max Verstappen goes with him. Mercedes is in complete disarray at the moment which can be a good selling point to Newey as they would tell him “Do whatever you want”. Max Verstappen who has been rumored to Mercedes would not make sense if he goes by himself and same with Newey. I believe that if one of them goes to Mercedes, the other will be soon to follow. This option out of the three is in my opinion the most unrealistic due to the fact that landing both Newey and Verstappen is a very hard task that would need a lot of persuasion as Mercedes has been Red Bull’s biggest rival and would cost a hell of a lot of money to secure them. Also Mercedes sole driver on contract after this season is someone Max Verstappen is familiar with as Verstappen and George Russell have made contact on track before and are not the best of friends. I would be surprised if this landing spot pans out but Mercedes has money and persuasion so I would not count them out.
Aston Martin: Newey to Aston Martin makes sense for a couple of reasons but mainly these two reasons. Honda and Fernando. Honda is the new engine supplier for Aston Martin in 2026 as well as an engine supplier that Newey is familiar with as they provided engines to Red Bull during their most recent streak of dominance. Then there is Fernando. Fernando Alonso is a two time World Drivers Champion and someone that still at his age is one of the best drivers on the grid. Oh yeah and Adrian Newey said he wants to work with him. So Aston Martin will have great engines and a driver that Newey has always wanted to work with so that should be a slam dunk right? Nope. All the money that Papa Stroll has will not suede Newey from his next option.
Ferrari: Newey to Ferrari is the most likely landing spot for the legendary designer. Newey has expressed he always wanted to work for Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton alike. Well Lewis will be driving for the Scuderia in 2025 which is exactly the momentum Newey needs to sign here. We have also heard news of team principal, Fred Vasseur, has had a meeting with Newey in London earlier this week before leaving for the Miami GP this weekend. While I expressed that Mercedes and Aston Martin have money to persuade Newey, so does Ferrari. I truly believe that the number on the contract will not change Newey’s decision but if that is the case, I could see Ferrari matching whatever Aston Martin and Mercedes offer. Also Ferrari has picked up a new sponsor to bring in more money which begs the question, why do this now? Could they be raising money for Newey? I think yes.
So now that I have broken down this entire situation for you. I hope you enjoyed this in depth anal-ysis of Adrian Newey’s departure. If you did not enjoy it, I will send the Horndog after you. Peace
