Adrian Newey Leaves Red Bull Racing

[CHT]

Stopping all F1 related activities to enter a gardening leave asap is not by accident.

Making sure you will still have enough time to meaningfully contribute to a 2026 car by the time you start is no accident.

Leaving out a direct opponent of the executive with majority ownership backing from a farewell speech is no accident.

Making a sudden deal to enable all this and making it so quickly is no accident.

People talk, other people use this information in different ways and connecting those dots is no accident.

If AN has any intention to join a rival team, he would have done it back in 2023 instead of signing a new contract with RBR till 2025.

AN has said many times before, the best opportunity to make big gain on rival is when there is a major regulation change, and that window is 2024-2025.

AN will be 67 next year, and if he wish to remain in F1 in active role, the question is why is he leaving RB for rival team? What can Ferrari possible offer more than winning championship with RB and having Max as driver?

AN has turn down Ferrari offer 3 times, and I am sure he has got good reason for that.

[CHT]

You are coping hard since this news came out. Nobody here knows really what will happen, so we can all speculate and sit comfy and enjoy the show.

Back in 2023 when AN signed a new contract I had actually speculated that AN will not be involve in 2026 project and he will likely retire.

So this news about AN leaving is not shocking..This isn't a Mike Elliott type of departure

Also the timing to join a new team in time for 2026 is also not right and Ferrari may just come out with a winning package in 2026 without AN.

What I find interesting is how media can create news out of thin air. If you look at what is going on in RB garage it doesn't look anything like what media for this forum is speculating about a fallout between AN and RB..

Newey may take a sabbatical but he doesn’t appear to be thinking about retiring. Of course “work” could be outside F1, he has shown interest in road EV design. He said this in November 2023. Direct quotes.

"Two of the people I most respect are [former F1 supremo] Bernie Ecclestone and [US racing legend] Roger Penske, both of whom are still working at quite a ripe old age and are still very mentally agile.

"I asked both of them, because I know both of them reasonably well, what's their secret? And they both said: 'Don't stop working. Think of your brain as a muscle that needs exercise.' And I do agree with that from other observations.

"Unfortunately, my father retired at 65, and kind of ended up a little bit lost afterwards, I suppose. I don't think he'd mind me saying that. So I am conscious of all these things.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formula- ... e-31519050

I actually think that AN will still be actively involve road car project because there is no regulation to restrict his creative ideas. F1 to AN is becoming to restrictive and AN has many time express his love for V10 engine instead of the current hybrid.

AN has mentioned in his post that CH is a friend and business partner, I am not sure if AN is a partner in RB road car division? RB17 may be the first of many AN's design road car.

[CHT]

Something for change.

[SharkY]

If AN has any intention to join a rival team, he would have done it back in 2023 instead of signing a new contract with RBR till 2025.

Well he could still enjoy the achievement of creating the most dominant car so far.

AN has said many times before, the best opportunity to make big gain on rival is when there is a major regulation change, and that window is 2024-2025.

That window starts on 1st Jan 2025, and AN can start working at most on 1st April, but could be earlier. There's still a plenty of room for major contributions to the design.

AN will be 67 next year, and if he wish to remain in F1 in active role, the question is why is he leaving RB for rival team? What can Ferrari possible offer more than winning championship with RB and having Max as driver?

There could be a million reasons, like: sometimes a company one works for is making some changes (eg. organizing things differently), that one doesn't like. And usually the best option in this case is to leave, than to stay and grind teeth.
Also, Ferrari managed to poach HAM (who AN was really fond of) and Vasseur seems like a very competent TP. And if he's not satisfied with F1, he has some options, like designing WEC or road cars.

AN has turn down Ferrari offer 3 times, and I am sure he has got good reason for that.

IIRC from his book he turned these offers down, because:
a) he didn't like the way Ferrari worked and their shenenigans (I think they were protesting his designs a lot). Also, he disliked Schumacher,
b) he didn't want to move to Italy.
And he never ruled these offers out immediately, but was leveraging.
As for a) Vasseur seems to have built a pretty good and competent technical team.
As for b) in times when he turned these offers down, he would have to move to Italy completely with his family from UK. Right now, the way to work from home office is magnitudes times better, so he doesn't have to relocate permanently. His family situation has changed, he's not solely living in UK, as he has family in RSA, so he's already travelling a bit.
And if Ferrari gives him a nice villa in Tuscany, and offer him to work fexibly and come and go to the office as he pleases, I can't see why that would be bad for him.

[ringo]

Newey goes to the new Ferrari.
A lot is changing about that team and the feeling could hark back to when Jaguar was changing to Redbull. Mind you, Newey is not building Ferrari from the ground, but he can be part of this new phase for the 2026 regs which Fred is building. It is very different than when he was asked to join in previous times.
This new Ferrari is very different and seems more relaxed with Fred at the helm and Lewis joining.
AN would not be in such a hurry to leave if he was not joining another team. Also at 65 years of age he can work for at least another 10 years and what he knows best is to design Grand Prix cars. He wont do anything else to feel satisfied.

[coaster]

[/quote]
AM will need to get rid of Lance Stroll before they can convince AN that they are serious about F1. :)
[/quote]

This is Neweys deal breaker for Aston, similar to Ron Dennis he said.
The Honda PU, as it stands, is the bench mark, Ford will need 5 years in development to match Honda.
I'm sure this is why everybody is leaving Redbull, they will be midfield until Ford hits its stride.

[zeroday]

AN will be 67 next year, and if he wish to remain in F1 in active role, the question is why is he leaving RB for rival team? What can Ferrari possible offer more than winning championship with RB and having Max as driver?

Newey has always said his biggest regret was not working with Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari. He now has his chance to get both. So, it appears a more prestigious offer to Newey, as the crowning jewel to close out his F1 career, is working with Ferrari to bring home a championship by the hands of an 8xWDC Lewis Hamilton. Newey really, really likes and respects Lewis which is a big draw for Newey. And Vasseur knows it.

Newey has a lot of time to think it through so there is no rush to sign. My guess is he wants to see the 2026 regulations and ponder and pick through it to find unique ideas (in June?). And if he does, and historically he always does, he just might want back in to the fun. And almost everyone, including RB's Marko, believes he's going to Ferrari, which the media are already christening: The Super Team, something that hasn't been uttered since that time of Braun, Schumacher, and the other fellow joined the same team. And we know how that turned combo out: man & machine working as one. Woe.

[Watto]

AM will need to get rid of Lance Stroll before they can convince AN that they are serious about F1.

This is Neweys deal breaker for Aston, similar to Ron Dennis he said.
The Honda PU, as it stands, is the bench mark, Ford will need 5 years in development to match Honda.
I'm sure this is why everybody is leaving Redbull, they will be midfield until Ford hits its stride.

Not sure you could say everybody is leaving Red Bull other than Newey don't think anyone else of merit has left have they? They just announced an extension to probably their main engineers in Pierre Waché, Enrico Balbo and Ben Waterhouse all extended contracts post Neweys departure (possible signed well before but knew Newey was leaving so needed some good PR)



I think there are no doubts big questions on how RBPT will do, I no doubt Max would keep an eye on how things are going there. But a big part of Hondas issue was complying with McLarens size zero demand. Think once those restrictions were removed Honda turned things around pretty quickly - albeit they have plenty of long established infrastructure RBPT clearly don't have

[CHT]

AN will be 67 next year, and if he wish to remain in F1 in active role, the question is why is he leaving RB for rival team? What can Ferrari possible offer more than winning championship with RB and having Max as driver?

Newey has always said his biggest regret was not working with Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari. He now has his chance to get both. So, it appears a more prestigious offer to Newey, as the crowning jewel to close out his F1 career, is working with Ferrari to bring home a championship by the hands of an 8xWDC Lewis Hamilton. Newey really, really likes and respects Lewis which is a big draw for Newey. And Vasseur knows it.

Newey has a lot of time to think it through so there is no rush to sign. My guess is he wants to see the 2026 regulations and ponder and pick through it to find unique ideas (in June?). And if he does, and historically he always does, he just might want back in to the fun. And almost everyone, including RB's Marko, believes he's going to Ferrari, which the media are already christening: The Super Team, something that hasn't been uttered since that time of Braun, Schumacher, and the other fellow joined the same team. And we know how that turned combo out: man & machine working as one. Woe.

AN did say he was flattered by Lewis comment of him joining Ferrari

Newey said: “It’s very kind of Lewis to say that. I’m very flattered, but at the moment it’s just take a little bit of a break and see what happens next.”

For the time being, Newey insists he has “no plan” regarding what he will do next, explaining that his initial aim is to “step back, take a bit of a break and take stock of life”.

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/arti ... LGBO787mcR

[Fluido]

Listen F1 expert at 28:30 - 33:20

Any team intending to bring in such a senior and highly paid guy like AN, they will have to make strategic changes to technical department in order to blend AN approach into the organisation. For such high level and sensitive recruitment, it unlikely it will be discussed or done out in public like at paddock etc. So whatever picture that we see of AN talking to Toto or Ferrari etc, that is unlikely to be anything about recruitment.

When RB recruited AN, they actually had secret meeting at airport hangar.

So Peter is right about AN joining Merc, and guys like James Allisons may have to go, and that is not something Merc can afford right now. (Budget cap as well) And even if AN join Merc, it may take years because they can see result. There is no magic bullet here

I meant the part where he disagrees with the trolls who minimize AN's work.

[Stu]

I just realised no one is tipping Newey to go to USA. If I was in his place and looking for "something different" it would be high on my list. Think of the record books.

During his time working in the US did he ever work with Mario Andretti? I really like the idea of them having him on board for a 2026 entry….

[Just_a_fan]

I just realised no one is tipping Newey to go to USA. If I was in his place and looking for "something different" it would be high on my list. Think of the record books.

During his time working in the US did he ever work with Mario Andretti? I really like the idea of them having him on board for a 2026 entry….

1987 at Newman-Haas.

[Stu]

I just realised no one is tipping Newey to go to USA. If I was in his place and looking for "something different" it would be high on my list. Think of the record books.

During his time working in the US did he ever work with Mario Andretti? I really like the idea of them having him on board for a 2026 entry….

1987 at Newman-Haas.

Thank you JaF.

[Watto]

Listen F1 expert at 28:30 - 33:20

Any team intending to bring in such a senior and highly paid guy like AN, they will have to make strategic changes to technical department in order to blend AN approach into the organisation. For such high level and sensitive recruitment, it unlikely it will be discussed or done out in public like at paddock etc. So whatever picture that we see of AN talking to Toto or Ferrari etc, that is unlikely to be anything about recruitment.

When RB recruited AN, they actually had secret meeting at airport hangar.

So Peter is right about AN joining Merc, and guys like James Allisons may have to go, and that is not something Merc can afford right now. (Budget cap as well) And even if AN join Merc, it may take years because they can see result. There is no magic bullet here

I meant the part where he disagrees with the trolls who minimize AN's work.

I don't think anyone other than trolls minimize Neweys work. And in general I agree with most of of what Peter said here about Newey, but the last part where he said even if he didn't work on the RB20 its because it designed itself is pretty poor, for starters I think there is plenty of Newey DNA all over the changes to the RB20 - but take it as what Peter said Newey had no input the evolution from RB19-> RB20 was not a design itself evolution. Yes I think the majority of the fundamental philosophy remain the same but it was a very aggressive evolution as and I think a few have shown it gets its speed in some different areas this year compared to last (not a huge change but there are some differences) its a pretty poor take

[CHT]

Alex Albon just sign a multi year contract with Williams, perhaps AN might end up there after his short break from F1?