Ferrari may be forced to wait if they want Adrian Newey to work alongside Lewis Hamilton after learning that the Red Bull design chief may take a break from Formula One. Newey will leave Red Bull in the first few months of 2025 to explore new challenges.
Speculation over Newey’s future has been rife in recent weeks, with some reports suggesting that he wished to move on from a perceived power struggle behind closed doors. The 65-year-old has been at Red Bull for 19 years and has played an integral role in their seven drivers’ championships. He has been strongly linked with Ferrari and a possible link-up with Hamilton next year.
Party to talks with Red Bull over the terms of Newey’s exit was Eddie Jordan. Newey described the founder of the former Jordan F1 team as his “close friend and manager” in a statement issued by Red Bull.
Jordan, 76, has now given his thoughts on what could lie ahead for his client. He has not ruled out a break. “Remember that he’s been in Red Bull under constant pressure, so if he’s gonna take time out and just cruise for a while, everyone would understand that,” Jordan told his Formula For Success podcast.
“That’s probably more likely to see rather than diving into any other possible employment career. Things have slightly changed. He probably should and would look to the future about a change of life.”
Newey’s exit has already caused some discontent at Red Bull, with Jos Verstappen – father of star driver Max – warning that the team is at risk of “falling apart”. Verstappen Snr has been frustrated by Christian Horner’s leadership in recent months.
Technical director Pierre Wache is a ready-made replacement for Newey and has overseen recent car development. Newey will spend the remainder of his time with Red Bull working on their RB17 hypercar.
“Ever since I was a young boy, I wanted to be a designer of fast cars. My dream was to be an engineer in Formula One, and I’ve been lucky enough to make that dream a reality,” Newey said.
“For almost two decades it has been my great honour to have played a key role in Red Bull Racing’s progress from upstart newcomer to multiple title-winning Team.
“However, I feel now is an opportune moment to hand that baton over to others and to seek new challenges for myself. In the interim, the final stages of development of RB17 are upon us, so for the remainder of my time with the Team my focus will lie there.”
