Red Bull have announced that Adrian Newey is to leave the team, with the esteemed F1 designer departing after almost 20 years at Milton Keynes.
Newey joined Red Bull ahead of their second F1 season in 2006 and has been instrumental in the squad’s success over the years, helping to turn the operation from midfield runners and points scorers into Grand Prix winners and world champions.
Indeed, Red Bull have claimed six constructors’ titles and seven drivers’ titles – between Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen respectively – with Newey-designed cars to date, and they are currently on course to do the double again in 2024.
However, it has now been confirmed in the build-up to the Miami Grand Prix that Newey will be departing from his Chief Technical Officer role in the first quarter of 2025.
A Red Bull statement also confirmed that Newey would be stepping back from Formula 1 design duties to “focus on final development and delivery of Red Bull’s first hypercar, the hugely anticipated RB17.” He will see out this project until its completion and will continue to attend specific races to support the F1 team trackside to the end of the 2024 season.
“Ever since I was a young boy, I wanted to be a designer of fast cars,” said Newey. “My dream was to be an engineer in Formula 1, 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.
“I would like to thank the many amazing people I have worked with at Red Bull in our journey over the last 18 years for their talent, dedication and hard work. It has been a real privilege, and I am confident that the engineering team are well prepared for the work going into the final evolution of the car under the four-year period of this regulation set.
“On a personal note, I would also like to thank the shareholders, the late Dietrich Mateschitz, Mark Mateschitz and Chalerm Yoovidhya for their unwavering support during my time at Red Bull, and Christian, who has not only been my business partner but also a friend of our respective families.
“Also, thanks to Oliver Mintzlaff for his stewardship and Eddie Jordan, my close friend and manager.”
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