Adrian Newey To Leave Red Bull After 2024 Season

After nearly two decades, seven Drivers’ Championship and six Constructor’s Championship titles, more than hundred wins and exactly hundred pole positions, Adrian Newey is set to leave Red Bull Racing. The renowned designer, known as one of the most brilliant minds in Formula 1, has been with the team for eighteen years, since they convinced him to join their ambitious plan in 2006. Previously, Newey used his talents at McLaren and Williams, designing championship-winning cars for both teams.

Now, his position in Red Bull has been widely discussed over the past few weeks. Before the 2024 season, the team started an internal power struggle regarding the team principal Christian Horner. Allegations were made by a female employee against Horner, and though the claims were officially dismissed, it triggered a conflict between the Thai side of business, supporting the team principal, and the Austrian side.

Along with multiple team members, Newey is understood to be unsettled by the whole situation. He is passionate about F1 and the engineering side of things, but similarly to Max Verstappen prefers a quiet and calm work environment without any scandals or questionable situations.

Even though he signed a new deal with Red Bull just last year, lasting till the end of 2025, there are some possibilities of a sooner exit. According to several close sources, Newey is now set to leave the team by the end of 2024 — though what he’ll do after is still unknown.

The designer most likely received a big-money deal from Lawrence Stroll during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, but Aston Martin certainly isn’t the only team interested in luring Newey to themselves. He’s been seen around Ferrari’s Maranello headquarters recently, and with the new regulations coming in 2026, Mercedes could be another possibility.

We don’t know much about his gardening leave, if he can go to another team immediately after ending at Red Bull, or has to wait a year or two. Also, given his age, we can’t rule out an intention of fully retiring going through Newey’s head.

However, one thing is clear — this shocking resignation could lead to a series of shake-ups for Red Bull. It’s known that Verstappen has a clause in his long-term contract that allows him to leave early in case the team advisor, Helmut Marko, leaves the company as well. And even if he doesn’t have the same clause regarding Adrian Newey, the star driver won’t be happy about the designer leaving — after all, he expressed his desire for things to stay how they are and the team to be as strong as possible.