Adrian Newey Plans Exit from Red Bull and May Join Rival in 2025

Red Bull Racing has confirmed that Adrian Newey, its technical director, will leave the team early next year, focusing on the development of the RB17, Red Bull's first hypercar, until early 2025. Although Newey will leave day-to-day operations in F1, he will continue to attend certain races, including this weekend's Miami Grand Prix.

Despite his contract running until the end of 2025, Newey has negotiated an early departure, which theoretically will allow him to join a rival team from March 2025. Ferrari has shown particular interest in incorporating Newey, and it is understood that Ferrari's team director, Fred Vasseur, has had private meetings with him to advance negotiations.

Newey's potential inclusion in Ferrari would coincide with Lewis Hamilton's arrival at the team, aiming to influence the development of the car for the new 2026 rules. Although the design concepts for 2026 will be advanced, Newey's influence could be crucial.

This situation has raised concerns among Red Bull's competitors, some of whom have compared the decision to Martin Whitmarsh's at McLaren in 2009, allowing Brawn GP to obtain Mercedes engines, which eventually led Brawn to win the world championship and secure a long-term contract with Mercedes.

Newey's departure also occurs at a time of internal turbulence at Red Bull, with power struggles and management challenges that have led to significant instability within the team. This has been exacerbated by a complaint from a female employee about Horner's behavior and subsequent tensions between the company's owners.

Newey's departure could precipitate further changes within Red Bull, with factions within the team seeking changes in senior management to prevent further disintegration. These developments raise doubts about the team's future stability, just as key figures like Max Verstappen are being tempted by other teams like Mercedes.
The outlook for Red Bull and for F1 in general could change significantly depending on Newey's next moves and how Red Bull handles these internal and external transitions.