Adrian Newey feels like Forrest Gump following his decision
Red Bull's star designer Adrian Newey conceded that he feels exhausted, but he also hinted that he will not completely retire from the sport and might join another team instead in the near future.
F1 star designer Adrian Newey announced his shock departure from Red Bull on the 1st of May. In fact, the British engineer will stay at Milton Keynes until the first quarter of 2025, but he will slowly scale down his involvement in the team's F1 project, and will relocate his focus on Red Bull's hypercar project instead.
Despite stepping back from his F1 duties, Newey will continue to attend specific races to support the Red Bull's trackside team to the end of the 2024 season
Unsurprisingly, it has since emerged that several outfits are interested in the services of Newey. However, some suggested that the 65-year-old might as well retire from sport and seek for a more relaxed lifestyle after all the intensity that the world of Formula One requires and creates.
However, speaking to his manager and friend Eddie Jordan in an interview published by Oyster Yachts, Newey indicated that he still has the hunger to return with another team and extend his career at the pinncale of motorsport.
"If you asked me 15 years ago, at the age of 65 would I seriously be considering changing teams, going somewhere else and doing another four or five years, I would have said 'you're absolutely mad.
"A few things happened at once. My dad, who was a vet, he was a huge car enthusiast and he used to tinker around with cars and play with them. That's where things rubbed off on me. He wanted to retire when he was 60 and he semi-retired at 62, moved up with my mum to Yorkshire then fully retired at 65.
"He lost his way a bit in retirement. He lost his mojo and a combination of that and two of the people I respect the most, Bernie Ecclestone and Roger Penske, I asked them both 'what's your secret'. They are phenomenally mentally and physically agile. They both said 'the brain is like a muscle, it needs exercise'.
Since joining Red Bull Racing in 2006, Newey’s vision and technical leadership has been instrumental for the Milton Keynes-based squad in achieving a remarkable seven F1 Drivers’ and six Constructors’ Championship titles - totalling 118 victories and 102 poles including the STR 2008 pole and victory.
In the interview, Newey indicated that he might enjoy some time without any stressful commitment, but he still loves his work and that might drive him back into the sport with another team in the near future.
"I've wanted to work in motor racing as a designer since I was the age of eight or 10. I've been lucky enough to fulfil that ambition, to have got that first job and be in motor racing ever since. Every day has just been a bonus. I just love what I do.
"I'll have a bit of a holiday. As Forrest Gump said at the end of his long run, 'I feel a bit tired at the moment but at some point I'll probably go again," Newey said.
