Red Bull ‘unaware’ of Newey's intention to join another team

Red Bull says it is “unaware” of any plans by Adrian Newey to join a rival team in Formula 1 amid reports he is set to leave after nearly two decades with RBR. Newey joined Red Bull in 2006 and the chief technical officer has led the design team in producing cars that won multiple championships from 2010-2013, and again from 2021 onwards. Despite the current dominance Red Bull is enjoying, the team has been in turmoil behind the scenes for much of the first part of this year following allegations about the behavior of team principal Christian Horner towards a female colleague. Following an initial report from German publication Auto Motor und Sport that Newey is set to leave Red Bull, the BBC stated it had verified the claims and that the situation surrounding Horner was central to his desire to move elsewhere. However, when the reports were put to Red Bull, a team spokesperson said: “Adrian is contracted at least till the end of 2025, we are unaware of him joining any other team.” None of the reports directly linked Horner with a specific move to a rival, though he has been connected with Ferrari on numerous occasions in the past, while Aston Martin and Mercedes have also both been suggested as potential destinations should he move on from Red Bull. The BBC also reports that Newey believes he can negotiate a departure prior to the expiry of his current contract. Should the 65-year-old opt to leave it would mark a seismic shift in the leadership team at Red Bull. Newey is no longer full-time on the F1 project but has been a central part of Red Bull’s huge success, heading up the technical department that has delivered the cars that have won 117 races to date, and currently leads both the constructors’ championship and the drivers’ championship with Max Verstappen. Amid the recent controversies involving Horner and power struggle that followed behind-the-scenes, Verstappen was extremely vocal about his desire to see the key players at Red Bull remain in place – specifically referencing advisor Helmut Marko – otherwise he suggested he, too, could be open to a move elsewhere.