Red Bull’s chief technical officer, Adrian Newey, has expressed his intention to leave the team, according to reports. Newey, who has been with Red Bull since 2006, is rumored to want to leave the team due to allegations surrounding team principal Christian Horner, which has hovered around the team since the start of the year. 

The 65-year-old has had a long career as a designer in the sport and has contributed greatly to Red Bull’s success, designing some of their best cars, since the days of Sebastian Vettel who won four world championships while with the team. Recently, his designs has seen Red Bull dominate the franchise for 3 years now, and earned Max Verstappen his three world championships. 

For now, the news remains a rumor as there has been no confirmation that he has reached out to the team to formally announce his resignation. As one news source put it: “It’s a fluid situation, but there is definitely substance to the notion that Adrian Newey has decided he wants to leave Red Bull, and he has turned his thoughts, in effect, away from the team. That’s what several senior figures close to Newey have been telling me. He has communicated informally with some senior Red Bull figures that he would like to leave the team.”

Newey is currently on a contract that runs till 2025, but sources believe he should be able to negotiate an exit from the team before the end of next year – if he does have the intention to leave. But Red Bull is expected to do all they can to make him stay back with the team, due to how instrumental he has been and what more he could do for them. 

Newey is quite an asset and as soon as he exits Red Bull, it is unlikely that he would be without a position for a minute as other teams are expected to approach him, chief among them are Ferrari and Aston Martin. No doubt, the current news might add some pressure to the team as they continue to grapple with the Horner-situation, which does not look like it is ending anytime soon.

Leon Osamor