Red Bull Racing team boss Christian Horner emphasized prior to the rumors about Adrian Newey’s departure that the team’s success is collective and therefore does not depend on one person. According to Horner, the employees within Red Bull never stand still regarding their functions, but there has always been enormous continuity.
Since Thursday, April 25, the Formula 1 paddock has been under the spell of Newey’s possible departure from Red Bull. The Austrian racing team itself said very little about it, only that he has a contract until the end of 2025. The 65-year-old Briton has been associated with the Austrian team for almost two decades and has designed the cars that have won the drivers’ title seven times and the constructors’ title six times. That includes the unprecedented successes Red Bull has achieved since Formula 1 returned to ground effect in 2022, with last season’s RB19 winning almost all but one race. However, Red Bull’s seamless success could be disrupted if the sport’s most coveted designer leaves and possibly goes elsewhere.
But as Newey has previously stepped back to focus on other ventures, Horner explained how Red Bull has developed its ranks so as not to be dependent on any one individual. “We have always had evolutions in our team, nothing remains the same,” Horner told MotorsportWeek in China. “Nothing stays the same forever, but we have had tremendous continuity,” he indicates. ‘Paul Monaghan lifted the trophy (in China, ed.) and has been with us for nineteen years. We have always enjoyed great stability, but at the same time we have continued to work on developing great talent within the team.’
‘Adrian is an important and long-term part of our team’
Horner also mentions Sebastian Vettel’s former engineer, Guillaume Rocquelin, who also still works at Red Bull. ‘He is working on another project, but still within our company. Simon Rennie (former engineer of Daniel RIcciardo, ed.) also still works for the team,” Horner continues. ‘There are many engineers and designers. We have always had enormous stability, but of course it is not just about one or two individuals, it is about the collective.’ Newey’s departure would increase pressure on technical director Pierre Waché, head of aerodynamics Enrico Balbo and chief engineers Monaghan and Ben Waterhouse.
The former Williams and McLaren designer has been linked with a move to Ferrari, while last month there was speculation that Aston Martin had made a lucrative offer. Mercedes is also mentioned among the teams he could possibly leave for. Speaking at the Japanese Grand Prix earlier this month, Horner stressed that Newey’s continued success in Formula 1 would inevitably lead to contact with rival teams. “Adrian is an important and long-term part of our team,” Horner said. ‘He is woven into the team. There will certainly always be interest in him,” said the team boss.
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