First reported by Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport on Thursday, Sky Sports understands from senior figures within the sport that Newey has informally communicated to fellow senior Red Bull colleagues his wish to cut his near two-decade ties at F1’s world champion team.
“It’s a fluid situation but there is definitely substance to the notion that Adrian Newey has decided he wants to leave Red Bull and he has turned his thoughts, in effect, away from the team,” said Sky Sports News reporter Craig Slater.
“That’s what several senior figures close to Newey have been telling me. He has communicated informally with some senior Red Bull figures that he would like to leave the team.”
Senior sources at Red Bull say the team has received no formal resignation from Newey, who holds the role of chief technical officer at the Milton Keynes-based outfit, and that they still believe there is still room for dialogue with the 65-year-old.
Red Bull said in a statement: “Adrian is contracted until at least the end of 2025 and we are unaware of him joining any other team.”
Newey has worked at Red Bull since 2006 and been a central figure in their subsequent rise to become an F1 superpower, leading the design of the cars that have taken the team to all 13 of their world titles.
Sebastian Vettel won four consecutive drivers’ titles at the team in 2010-2013, with Max Verstappen taking the last three and currently dominating the early stages of the new 2024 season with Newey’s latest creation.
His recent designs have absolutely dominated the sport since the current ground-effect regulations were introduced in 2022, with Red Bull winning 25 of the last 27 races.
‘Red Bull’s apparent power struggle has been destabilising’
The bombshell news about Newey, which would send shockwaves around F1 should his exit ultimately materialise, comes amid a period of sustained turbulence at Red Bull following the investigation earlier this year by their Austrian parent company into allegations of inappropriate behaviour against team principal Christian Horner by a female colleague.
The grievance against Horner, who has always denied the claims, was dismissed on February 28. The woman who brought the complaint has since appealed the outcome.
“I think perhaps [this Newey news] is more to do with the power struggle that has been the background to the Horner situation,” added Slater.
