Official: Adrian Newey is leaving Red Bull F1 in 2025

Adrian Newey is officially leaving Red Bull. Yep, just under a week after news broke that arguably the greatest F1 designer of all time was looking for a way out, Red Bull Racing has announced Newey’s departure. 

“The Team announces that Chief Technical Officer Adrian Newey will leave the Red Bull Technology Group in the first quarter of 2025,” reads Red Bull’s statement.

“The engineering supremo will step back from Formula 1 design duties to focus on final development and delivery of Red Bull’s first hypercar, the hugely anticipated RB17.

“He will remain involved in and committed to this exciting project until its completion. We’d like to thank Adrian for our achievements in the time that we have worked together so far. He has been instrumental for us in achieving a remarkable seven Formula One Drivers’ and six Constructors’ Championship titles – totalling 118 victories and 101 poles including the STR 2007 pole and victory.”

Newey joined Red Bull Racing in 2006, but reports last week suggested that he was unhappy with the situation involving team boss Christian Horner. A complaint was made against Horner by a female employee in February this year, but that complaint was subsequently dismissed and the employee was then suspended by Red Bull. 

“All of our greatest moments from the past 20 years have come with Adrian’s hand on the technical tiller,” said Horner on Newey’s departure. 

“His vision and brilliance have helped us to 13 titles in 20 seasons. His exceptional ability to conceptualise beyond F1 and bring wider inspiration to bear on the design of grand prix cars, his remarkable talent for embracing change and finding the most rewarding areas of the rules to focus on, and his relentless will to win have helped Red Bull Racing to become a greater force than I think even the late Dietrich Mateschitz might have imagined. 

“More than that, the past 19 years with Adrian have been enormous fun. For me, when Adrian joined Red Bull, he was already a superstar designer. Two decades and 13 Championships later he leaves as a true legend. He is also my friend and someone I will be eternally grateful to for everything he brought to our partnership. The legacy he leaves behind will echo through the halls of Milton Keynes and RB17 will be a fitting testament and legacy to his time with us.”

Newey will finish work on the RB17 – a naturally aspirated V10-engined track car with over 1,000bhp, a 15,000rpm redline and a 900kg kerbweight – before he leaves Red Bull altogether. At which point he’ll no doubt have offers from every single Formula 1 team on the table.

“I would like to thank the many amazing people I have worked with at Red Bull in our journey over the last 18 years for their talent, dedication and hard work,” said Newey. 

“It has been a real privilege, and I am confident that the engineering Team are well prepared for the work going into the final evolution of the car under the four-year period of this regulation set. On a personal note, I would also like to thank the shareholders, the late Dietrich Mateschitz, Mark Mateschitz and Chalerm Yoovidhya for their unwavering support during my time at Red Bull, and Christian, who has not only been my business partner but also a friend of our respective families.

"Also, thanks to Oliver Mintzlaff for his stewardship and Eddie Jordan, my close friend and manager.”

Newey has won 13 drivers’ titles and 12 constructors’ titles during his time in the sport so far, plus one TopGear.com Lifetime Achievement Award (we presume that’s what he’s most proud of). Where do you think he’ll end up?