Red Bull take immediate Adrian Newey action with big departure now confirmed

Red Bull’s Adrian Newey at the 2024 Miami Grand Prix.

As he’s now off the F1 project, Red Bull has already begun the process of restricting Adrian Newey’s access to information.

After 19 years with Red Bull, Adrian Newey will leave the team after the first quarter of 2025, meaning that he’s now on his notice period with the Milton Keynes-based squad.

Red Bull restrict Adrian Newey’s technical data access

With Newey in attendance in Miami over last weekend, despite having already started his F1 gardening leave, team boss Christian Horner explained how Red Bull has begun the process of restricting Newey’s access.

With all sorts of rumours abounding about what Newey might do next once he leaves Red Bull by mid-2025, Horner confirmed that Newey no longer has any access to data and will no longer be involved in any technical briefings.

“Adrian’s focus is very much now on the RB17,” he said after the Miami Grand Prix, referring to the Red Bull-developed hypercar that is Newey’s brainchild, and the department to which he has been assigned until his contract comes to an end.

“He’s not sat in any briefings over the weekend, other than the race strategy.

“He has no access to any data, he’s not drawing parts, and his focus is now on RB17 until the end of his [notice].

“He’ll be at some races between now and the end of the year, primarily where we have RB17 customers.”

Asked about whether he is concerned about Newey joining another team, Horner said there’s ultimately no Red Bull input involved in that decision.

“I think Adrian is going to take some time away from Formula 1 and, at 65, you can’t blame him. I think he’s earned that right.

“He’s earned the right to take some time out. So what he chooses to do after that, it will be his choice.”

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Speaking to Sky F1 over the Miami Grand Prix weekend, Newey outlined his reasons for wanting to leave Red Bull and, for now, F1.

“Formula 1 is all-consuming,” he said.

“I’ve been at it for a long time now. 2021 was a really busy year because of the tight battle with Mercedes through the championship and, at the same time, putting all the research and development into the RB18, which is the father of this generation of cars.

“I don’t know. There comes a point, I think, where I just felt, as Forrest Gump said, ‘I’m feeling a little bit tired’.”

But while Newey may be eyeing up a break from F1, Red Bull’s position to isolate him from its F1 data is a normal one – once his contract expires, Newey may very well immediately switch to a rival team.

He has been strongly linked with Ferrari, with Newey himself setting tongues wagging as he was spotted on the grid shaking hands with Ferrari vice-chairman Piero Ferrari.

Williams’ James Vowles has also revealed that he’s had “light” conversations with Newey about the Grove-based squad reuniting with the man who designed some of Williams’ most dominant cars in the 1990s.

But, for now, Newey is adamant he’s not going anywhere other than on a well-deserved break from the sport.

“I think, with Amanda, my wife and the dogs – we’ll probably go travelling in the motorhome or something and go down through France and just enjoy life,” he said.

“Then maybe, at some point, I don’t know when, I’ll be standing in the shower and I’ll go ‘Right, this is going to be the next adventure’ but, right now, there is no plan.”