End of an era? ‘Another possibility’ for Adrian Newey emerges after Red Bull exit
Adrian Newey and Jeremy Clarkson
Celebrity F1 fan Jeremy Clarkson has claimed that his former schoolmate Adrian Newey “might just decide to b*gger off and sail around the world” after leaving Red Bull rather than join Mercedes or Ferrari.
Red Bull announced ahead of last weekend’s Miami Grand Prix that Newey will leave the team in early 2025, having played an instrumental role in the Milton Keynes-based outfit’s F1 success since arriving from McLaren in 2006.
Adrian Newey’s next move? Jeremy Clarkson weighs in ahead of Red Bull exit
The confirmation of Newey’s impending departure comes amid rumours that the 65-year-old has received contract offers from Aston Martin and Ferrari, with a report by La Gazzetta dello Sport claiming Newey met with Ferrari team boss Frederic Vasseur in London last week before jetting to Miami.
Mercedes, with whom Red Bull’s lead driver Max Verstappen has been heavily linked in light of the current uncertainty surrounding Red Bull, could also emerge as a potential destination for Newey.
Television presenter Clarkson, a fellow pupil of Newey’s at Repton school in Derbyshire, has now weighed in on the matter, arguing that the design genius could opt to walk away from F1 entirely in favour of sailing around the world.
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Clarkson’s view echoes that of Newey’s manager, the former F1 team owner Eddie Jordan, who after handling his Red Bull exit declared that Newey is “more likely” to “take time out and just cruise for a while” rather than seek a fresh start with another team.
Writing in his column for The Sun, Clarkson wrote: “Ever since he announced he would be leaving his job as chief engineer at Red Bull Racing, everyone has been wondering which team Adrian Newey might join.
“It’s a big question. It was a Newey-designed car that took Nigel Mansell to the world championship in 1992 and Alain Prost in 1993.
“In the late ’90s, McLaren dominated using Newey’s cars, so it was obvious when he switched to Red Bull in 2006 what would happen next. And indeed it did.
“The simple fact of the matter is this. If Adrian Newey designed your car, there’s a very good chance you’ll win.
“So where will he go next? Some say he will join Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari. Others reckon he’ll end up with Max Verstappen at Mercedes.
“But there’s another possibility.
“Late last year, Newey started work on a new sailing boat. And as he’s now 65 years old, who knows?
“He might just decide to b*gger off and spend the autumn of his years sailing round the world on that.”
Clarkson’s comments come after Newey’s wife Amanda took to Instagram to express her gratitude to the Red Bull team.
Using the story function, whereby messages expire after 24 hours, she wrote: “Emotional end of a [sic] era. Thank you, Red Bull Racing. It has been a wild ride with a fantastic team.”