Legendary F1 car designer Adrian Newey’s role at Red Bull is unlikely to change despite recent rumours about his future.
Adrian Newey will continue in his current role as the Chief Technical Officer amid rumours that he would be shifting his attention to the RB17 hypercar project.
The role of Red Bull’s chief technical officer is “unchanged,” and according to Autosport, he will be back on the track at the Japanese Grand Prix in April after missing the Australian Grand Prix next week.
Max Verstappen and Adrian Newey are among the many names who have been linked to possible departures from Red Bull Racing due to the continued unrest within the team since the parent company dismissed its investigation into Christian Horner.
It comes after reports that Red Bull team principal Christian Horner was planning to kick Newey out of Formula 1 as tensions between the two grew following the former’s controversy.
According to sources who spoke with Racetrackmasters.com, rumours about Newey’s discontent within the energy drinks company company are also much exaggerated because the English engineer recently inked a new, long-term contract to remain at Milton Keynes, which was approved in May.
Reports of Newey’s purported dissatisfaction at Milton-Keynes gained traction when the team appeared to express their concerns about the FIA’s cost cap limits, and Red Bull apparently assigned Newey exclusively to the RB17 hypercar project as a result.
However, Autosport sources claim that this kind of speculation is “wide of the mark.” The source also claims that Newey’s loyalties lie firmly with Red Bull. Moreover, the Briton will most likely return to the Japanese GP paddock after a scheduled absence at the Australian GP.
The 65-year-old has played a significant role in every championship Red Bull has won. He was a key player in Red Bull’s four straight victories from 2010 to 2013. Newey now appears to have assisted the Milton Keynes-based company in mastering current ground-effect rules as well.
He assisted in designing the RB19 last year, which helped Red Bull set a number of records with securing the most victories in a single season (21 out of 22 races) being unquestionably the most significant.
Given Newey’s significant contribution to Red Bull’s recent victories, it is not surprising that top teams like Ferrari have expressed interest in signing him in the past.
Adrian Newey is free to try new things and dedicate his time to activities that motivate him at Red Bull. That’s why he also took up the “hobby” of designing Red Bull’s first-ever hypercar, the RB17, alongside the development of the RB20.
Red Bull allows Newey to work on projects he enjoys, but it’s impossible to ignore Ferrari’s desire to sign him while Mercedes apparently made an earlier attempt to sign the British engineer as well.
Switching to Brackley appears likely given Mercedes’s strong chances of mastering the new rules, which will take effect for the 2026 season. Furthermore, Newey might decide to leave Milton Keynes in search of a fresh challenge owing to the ongoing tensions at Red Bull.
Newey is currently working on the RB20 alongside technical director Pierre Wache and is described to be “as motivated as ever to continue delivering in the championship.”
Max Verstappen has led the RB20 to victory in both of the first two races of the season, while Sergio Perez has secured back-to-back Red Bull 1-2 finishes in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
