F1 Icon Adrian Newey to Leave Red Bull Racing After 19 Years
Red Bull has announced that Formula One designer Adrian Newey will be leaving the team after 19 years in the first quarter of 2025. The announcement comes after speculation over Newey’s future with the team following the allegations towards team principal Christian Horner.
Newey departing to seek new challenges
Newey said in a statement that he had been honoured to have played a key role in the progress of Red Bull Racing. He also said in the statement that he felt that now was the right time to “hand that baton over to others and seek new challenges”.
The designer has had an incredible career within Formula One and led the design of the cars that led Red Bull to win their 13 world titles, with his cars winning 25 drivers' and constructors' championships for Williams, McLaren and Red Bull. Newey’s 2023 car is known as one of the most dominant in sports history, winning 21 out of 22 races it was used in and placing him in Formula One history as a “true legend”.
Red Bull principal Christian Horner celebrated Newey’s career with the team, stating that all of their best moments had come from Adrian’s design leadership and his talent for embracing change. He went on to say that he was eternally grateful for their partnership and that he leaves behind an incredible legacy.
Speculation over replacement for new design era
The departure of Newey next spring will leave an opening in the team for a new lead designer. Red Bull technical designer Pierre Wache has recently signed a contract extension with Red Bull and looks like he will be Newey’s successor, however his replacement has yet to be announced.
The Red Bull cars will be entering a new design era from next year with Newey’s departure and the ending of Red Bull’s partnership with Honda at the end of the next season. The end of the partnership will see Red Bull making their own engines with support from Ford when Formula One starts a new power era in 2026. As the season continues, fan will be waiting to see how the new era impacts the team.
