Adrian Newey: F1's legendary car designer to leave Red Bull in 2025

Red Bull Racing/Red Bull Content Pool

F1 design icon Adrian Newey set to leave Red Bull after nearly 20 years in 2025, considering possible moves to Ferrari or Aston Martin.

In a seismic shift set to shake the foundations of Formula One, Adrian Newey, the legendary design mastermind, will part ways with Red Bull Racing after almost two decades, effective in 2025. The announcement leaves the door open for a potential new chapter in Newey's illustrious career just ahead of F1's significant regulation changes in 2026.

Newey, aged 65, has been candid about his career ambitions, revealing his desire to work with Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton. Both drivers have expressed mutual admiration, with Alonso and Hamilton describing it as a "privilege" to work alongside him.

Ferrari has long been an admirer, previously courting Newey without success due to familial commitments. However, with Hamilton set to join Ferrari in 2025 and Alonso committed to Aston Martin until at least 2026, the stars may finally align for Newey to make a pivotal career move.

An iconic track record

Regarded widely as the greatest designer in F1 history, Newey boasts a record that is unparalleled. His cars have secured 13 drivers' championships and 12 constructors' championships across three teams. Red Bull's "unicorn" draws a reputed salary of £15 million, a figure many team principals deem well justified given his unparalleled expertise.

Newey's fascination with cars began at a young age. He reminisced during an interview with the Beyond the Grid podcast about welding and crafting car models in his father's garage at just 11 years old. This early practice laid the foundation for his career path.

Armed with a degree in aeronautics and astronautics, Newey started at March/Leyton House in 1983, designing sports car chassis. His big break came in the early 1990s with Williams, where he and Patrick Head revolutionized the team. His first championship-winning car, the 1992 Williams-Renault FW14B, driven by Nigel Mansell, featured groundbreaking suspension technology and dominated the season.

In the late '90s, Newey moved to McLaren as technical director. Under his stewardship, Mika Hakkinen clinched two drivers' championships with the aerodynamically superior McLaren MP4/13.

Joining Red Bull in 2006, Newey evolved from race engineer to aerodynamicist, designer, and ultimately chief technical officer. His work on the 2013 Red Bull-Renault RB9, featuring immense downforce and innovative exhaust technology, marked the apex of the team's first dominant era with Sebastian Vettel.

Most recently, the 2023 RBPT RB19 stands out as perhaps his finest work. Max Verstappen's third world title and the car's remarkable record of 21 wins in 23 races underscore Newey's unrivaled design prowess.

Traditional methods in a modern world

Despite advancements in technology over his 40-year career, Newey remains steadfast in his preference for sketching over computer-aided design (CAD). He explained, "I use a drawing board because to me it's the language I'm most comfortable, most fluid in. Drawing has to be subconscious—or for me it does."

Newey's passion for cars extends beyond F1. The Aston Martin Valkyrie, a collaborative project between Aston Martin and Red Bull, showcases F1 technology in a road-legal package. Priced between £2.5 - £3 million with only 150 units produced, it has already earned Fernando Alonso's seal of approval.

Moreover, Newey's RB17 project, born during the lockdown, is a 'no rules' performance car designed purely for speed, though it comes with a hefty £5 million price tag.

Adrian Newey's tenure at Red Bull has been nothing short of transformative. As he revealed to Sky Sports' Martin Brundle, "It's been an amazing ride ... F1 is all consuming, I've been at it for a long time now ... there comes a point where, as Forest Gump said 'I'm feeling a little bit tired.'"

However, as regulations evolve in 2026, Newey's enthusiasm for new challenges remains undiminished. The F1 world will be watching keenly as this design icon considers his next move.

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