Legendary F1 designer Adrian Newey to leave Red Bull Racing in 2025

Adrian Newey to depart Red Bull Racing in early 2025

Red Bull Racing has officially confirmed that Adrian Newey, the legendary Formula One car designer, will depart from the team early in the 2025 season. Newey, who has been instrumental in Red Bull's reign in F1, will vacate his position as chief technical officer during the first quarter of next year.

Newey’s departure might see the 65-year-old designer bring his expertise to other high-profile teams such as Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari or Fernando Alonso's Aston Martin in time for the 2026 season. The exit of Newey, a pivotal figure behind numerous championship-winning cars, introduces significant uncertainties about the future trajectory of Red Bull Racing, which has been facing internal challenges this year.

One significant consequence of Newey's departure is how it will affect Max Verstappen's future decisions, who is on the verge of claiming his fourth world championship title. Observers are keen on whether Newey's exit will influence Verstappen to consider moving to a different team.

This development comes amidst speculation that Newey's decision is connected to the aftermath of an internal misconduct investigation involving Red Bull team principal Christian Horner. However, according to reports, Red Bull had long anticipated Newey's departure.

Newey reflects on his journey

In a heartfelt statement, Newey shared his reflections:

"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."

Christian Horner's tribute

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner praised Newey's invaluable contributions to the team's success, lauding him as a "true legend" of the sport.

"All of our greatest moments from the past 20 years have come with Adrian's hand on the technical tiller," Horner remarked. "His vision and brilliance have helped us to 13 titles in 20 seasons... 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."

As the team navigates this monumental transition, the broader F1 community will closely follow how Red Bull adapts to the absence of its iconic technical mastermind and who will emerge to lead the team into its next chapter.

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