Late last week, German publication Auto Motor Und Sport reported that Newey was set to leave the team, after indicating to colleagues that he was no longer happy with the working environment that reigned there.
Now, following discussions with the team, it appears that he has officially tendered his resignation and the focus will be on the terms of his departure.
An official statement from Red Bull Racing is expected to arrive soon, potentially before the start of the Miami Grand Prix.
While details of a possible split are unknown, it is expected that Newey will remain in his role for the time being before leaving Red Bull no later than early 2025.
It is understood that Newey communicated the reasons for his decision in an internal letter.
A decisive factor was said to have been the breakdown of his relationship with team leader Christian Horner, following the power struggle which took place at the start of the year following allegations made against him by a female employee.
This follows previous tensions, including an interview published late last year in which Horner said that Newey’s role had changed and that “the technical team under his leadership, led by Pierre Wache, is doing a wonderful job and therefore does not depend on Adrian”. “.
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
Horner also explained that Manchester United did not go bankrupt when star striker Eric Cantona left the team.
This interview did not go down well with Newey and was apparently seen by him as a sign that Horner wanted to make himself important and downplay the contribution of others to the team’s success.
Newey’s wife, Amanda, even shared the interview on Twitter and commented: “What rubbish.”
It’s unclear what Newey will do after Red Bull – although there appear to be five clear options: Mercedes, Aston Martin, McLaren, Ferrari or a complete withdrawal from F1.
One argument against Mercedes is that Newey apparently believes it would take too long to set the course needed to get the team back on the winning path.
He is 65 years old and won’t stay in his next job for another 19 years, as was the case at Red Bull. Furthermore, he would not have a very high opinion of Toto Wolff.
Lawrence Stroll is waving his checkbook at Aston Martin and Dan Fallows, Newey’s long-time colleague at Red Bull, is already there. However, Newey has earned enough money during his career. For him, it’s about doing things he loves.
According to some rumors, Newey would be rather reserved towards Stroll Sr. and would therefore not consider the financially attractive offer from the Canadian. Also, because he doesn’t like the idea that Stroll could drive up the market value of Aston Martin with Newey as an asset and then perhaps sell the team for a profit.
Newey has worked for McLaren in the past, from 1997 to 2005, so this would no longer be a new challenge for him.
He gets along extremely well with CEO Zak Brown on a personal level. But Newey doubts the team can muster the resources needed to succeed in Formula 1.
Ferrari remains. It’s no secret that they want him there, but the key question is whether or not he would want the upheaval of his life to move to Maranello and face the political environment within the team.
