Red Bull Racing will bid farewell to one of the longest serving members and potentially the pillar of their huge success on the track, Adrian Newey in 2025. Newey’s contract is expiring and he talked his way out of serving a gardening leave, thus paving his way of a fresh start after 2025 season’s first quarter.
That being said, Adrian Newey’s exit rumors originated long before the official confirmation, precisely after Christian Horner’s sexual misconduct case blew up. Apparently, Newey had a rift with Horner. And that friction pushed him away from the team. However, the British team principal has now come forward to dismiss the animosity specualtions.
Christian Horner Insists Friendship With Adrian Newey Still Strong Despite Abrupt Departure
Adrian Newey, one of the most respectable figures in Formula 1, is set to terminate his 20-year association with Red Bull Racing amid a dominant run. In Newey’s designed cars, RB won three constructors and as many drivers championships on a trot to establish a new era of dominance. However, irrespective of the team’s success, Newey is now seeking a fresh start elsewhere. Naturally, the 65-year-old’s sudden exit was linked to Red Bull’s internal power struggle triggered by Christian Horner earlier this year. Speculations suggested that Newey was displeased with Horner over his sexual misconduct case, which also involved his personal assistant. His exit was deemed personal due to irreconcilable differences with the Brit boss.
However, Christian Horner spoke to Wion and dismissed rumors of animosity with Adrian Newey. The Red Bull boss cleared the air, saying he had a detailed chat with Newey to understand his stance on his sudden exit. Horner added that Newey and him continue to remain great friends and colleagues. Furthermore, the British team principal acknowledged Newey’s contributions to the team’s success and called his departure a sad event. However, Horner is grateful that the aero wizard is leaving the team in good shape and has left a great platform to build on ahead of the 2026 regulation change. “We’ve got a great team of people and strength and depth to take us forward,” said Christian Horner. Indeed, Adrian Newey’s loss is a huge dent for RB ahead of a decisive engine regulation overhaul. And a huge challenge awaits the team in 2025.
Red Bull Breathes Sigh Of Relief As Pierre Wache Confirms His Stay
In what comes as a great relief for Red Bull, Adrian Newey’s potential successor and leading engineer, Pierre Wache, has extended his contract until 2028. He will be a part of the team that will tackle the 2026 regulation overhaul. Notably, this comes as a huge boost to RB as Wache was reportedly poached by rivals amid the team’s internal crisis.
And with Adrian Newey leaving, Red Bull couldn’t have recovered from Pierre Wache’s loss. That being said, the threat of mass exodus is not over yet. Max Verstappen is still reevaluating his future priorities with Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff tailing behind with a 150 million euros switch offer.
Stay tuned to Sports News International for more such updates about your favorite F1 team.
