Will Red Bull and Max Verstappen lose their best man in the shadows? The historic engineer of the Austrian team will leave his post due to internal power struggles and controversies surrounding his boss Christian Horner, according to several foreign media including the well-informed BBC and Motorsports. Contacted by AFP, a Red Bull spokesperson indicated that Newey is “under contract at least until the end of 2025” and that the team was “not aware of him joining another team”.
Considered one of F1’s greatest engineers, Newey, aged 65, has worked for Red Bull since 2006. He designed the single-seaters which brought the Milton Keynes-based team six world championship titles. manufacturers between 2010 and 2023 and seven driver titles with Sebastian Vettel (from 2010 to 2013) then Max Verstappen (from 2021 to 2023). The Briton had previously worked for the Williams and McLaren teams before joining Red Bull, now undermined by an internal war.
Newey ahead of Verstappen?
Red Bull has been shaken by controversy since Christian Horner, its historic boss, was accused by a team employee of “inappropriate behavior”. On February 28, an internal investigation carried out by an external lawyer appointed by Red Bull cleared Horner, who had always maintained his innocence and welcomed this decision which came just before the first Grand Prix of the season in Bahrain.
Adrian Newey is set to leave Red Bull according to our sources. We expect him to announce his decision soon. More on the exit date and who might get his service in the future in our AMuS story:https://t.co/lnpgQYIDxa
— Tobi Grüner 🏁 (@tgruener) April 25, 2024
The employee who made the accusations was suspended from the team on March 7 but has reportedly since been reinstated. The BBC said in mid-March that it had referred the matter to the International Automobile Federation (FIA). Max Verstappen’s father, Jos, himself a former F1 driver, estimated in early March that, if Horner, 50 years old, including 19 at the head of the team, remained in his post, Red Bull would “explode”. The departure of Adrian Newey, whom rumors send to Ferrari, could be the first detonator, while the future of the three-time reigning world champion Max Verstappen is not yet completely decided.
