On Wednesday, it was announced that Red Bull technical director Adrian Newey would leave the Austrian team after 19 years of service, during which he helped it win seven drivers’ titles and six constructors’ titles with Sebastian Vettel. and Max Verstappen as star drivers.
It is understood that Adrian Newey decided to leave Red Bull after becoming fed up with the team’s internal politics, which turned into a battle for control between the Thai side of the company supporting the boss of the The Christian Horner team and the Austrian side aligned with Helmut Marko and the Verstappen family.
The matter exploded publicly due to an internal investigation into Christian Horner’s alleged inappropriate behavior toward a female employee, a complaint that was initially dismissed but has since been appealed.
McLaren boss Zak Brown said he was not surprised that someone with “very high integrity” of Adrian Newey is leaving Red Bull and that he expected that the British engineer would not be the last big name to desert the team.
“Am I surprised? Six months ago I would have been surprised“, said Zak Brown. “But given everything that has happened since the start of the year and knowing Adrian quite well, who is a person of great integrity, I am not surprised that he is moving on. I think the things that are happening there are a little unsettling. It’s probably the first domino to fall, but I think it’s not the last if we look at the CVs circulating.”
When asked to clarify whether McLaren had received more CVs since the turmoil at Red Bull began, he replied: “Yes, we have seen an increase in team resumes and I think Adrian is the most successful designer ever. Besides the technique he brings to the race team, people want to work for and alongside people like Adrian. They will miss what he brings to the team from a purely technical perspective, as well as the leadership and enthusiasm that people feel working with him.”
Adrian Newey is expected to be available to rival teams from March 2025, with Ferrari a strong contender to snap up the 65-year-old. Meanwhile, the McLaren boss has rejected the idea that his team is interested in him.
“As for McLaren, I am very happy with the work accomplished by the men and women of the team“, he added. “We started to show since the second half of last year that they know how to make the car perform, so I have every confidence in the team we have. We are looking to get back to the front positions and I believe we have the personnel, the talent, the equipment and the drivers to achieve it, so we will stay the course.
With Filip Cleeren
