Red Bull's decision to allow technical director Adrian Newey to retire next year could backfire. Photo: Thomas Butler/Red Bull
You could make a case for Red Bull letting Adrian Newey leave.
It's not a very compelling argument. After all, the track record of the teams Newey left is not great. Williams has not won a title since Jacques Villeneuve drove the Newey-designed FW19 to victory in 1997. McLaren has won only one: Lewis Hamilton's drivers' title in 2008.
But Red Bull can rightfully claim that it has been preparing for this day for some time and has everything it needs to continue to progress.
Newey has, in any case, significantly reduced his involvement in Formula 1 in recent seasons as he focused on other projects, the main one being the RB17 hypercar. Last fall, the 65-year-old admitted that he works in Formula 1 “only about 50 percent of the time.”
He was forced to slow down after a serious cycling accident in Croatia in mid-2021, during which technical director Pierre Wahe took on a larger role. Now the Frenchman manages a team of designers and technicians day-to-day, while Newey acts more as a consultant, troubleshooter and sounding board, working a set number of days a month.
Wahe has a long-term contract. deal is at least three seasons away from now, so Red Bull will argue he can lead them into the future. Perhaps he can.
Red Bull believes that Pierre Vache (right), having already taken over some of Newey's responsibilities, ready to take responsibility. Photo: David Rose for Telegraph
Red Bull has a very strong technical team and they will be motivated to show that they are more than a one-man band. Newey cast a big shadow and there was definitely some jealousy there. His departure will eliminate this. In addition, Red Bull will save approximately £15 million a year in wages.
Yes, they will no longer be able to benefit from his unprecedented experience in preparing for the new rules in 2026. But you can practically prove that Red Bull can afford to let Newey go.
What makes absolutely no sense is why Red Bull released him to join a rival team nine months before the new rules came into force 2026. If only because they themselves said last week that they would not allow this.
As Red Bull made abundantly clear when rumors first surfaced last Thursday, Newey had become disillusioned and wanted to leave the team he had been with since 2005, a team in the midst of a period of complete dominance and with whom he had just renewed his contract. 12 months ago, their star designer was contracted “until at least 2025.” It was implied that they intended to force him to honor the contract. And, perhaps, in addition to this, he took gardening leave.
Privately, at this stage, the mood in the team was such that his contract was unshakable and there was no chance of him falling straight into the arms of an opponent .
What has changed between then and now? How did Newey's lawyers negotiate early release? It's a complete mystery.