“I think from my part, I was very flattered by the number of teams that did approach me,” Newey explained. “I had discussions with some of those teams, not all of them. In the end, it became a very clear and natural choice, for all the reasons I stated earlier in the conference.”
And in terms of what those reasons were, Newey cited the need for a “new challenge” after mulling over his options for some time.
READ MORE: From March to Red Bull – How long did it take Newey to make an impact at his previous F1 teams?
“Towards the end of April, I decided that I needed to do something different,” the 65-year-old conceded. “I spent a lot of time with Mandy, my wife, kind of discussing what’s next… What do we do? Do we go off and sail around the world? Do I do something different?
“We took a bit of time out. I felt that I’ve been lucky enough to have achieved what I aspired to from the age of 10 or 12, which was simply to be a designer – I didn’t even know the word engineer – in motor racing.
“I can honestly say, everything else has been a bonus, having sort of achieved that straight out of uni. I never, of course, expected anything like what I’ve been lucky enough to be involved with. But you have to be honest with yourself and keep yourself fresh, so I felt I needed a new challenge.
