Adrian Newey wants to join another F1 team in boost for Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton
Newey has been at Red Bull for all of their World Championship titles - Getty Images/Mark Thompson
Adrian Newey has confirmed that he intends to join another Formula One team once he leaves Red Bull, increasing the possibility of a tantalising move to Ferrari alongside Lewis Hamilton.
Newey says the experience of watching his father “lose his mojo a bit” following his retirement at the age of 65 is one of the reasons he is likely to join another F1 team once he leaves Red Bull early next year.
In an interview with his manager, the former team owner Eddie Jordan, Newey admitted for the first time that he was likely to continue beyond retirement age, saying he was “seriously considering changing teams, going somewhere else and doing another four or five years”.
Up until now the 65 year-old had played a straight bat to questions about his future, saying he needed “a rest” and time to recharge before making any decision.
Newey told Jordan, his friend and manager, that his likely decision to keep working had been influenced by two factors. One was that his father retired at 65 and “kind of lost his way a bit, just lost his mojo a bit”.
The former Williams and McLaren designer added that he had spoken with Bernie Ecclestone and Roger Penske, still working in their 90s and 80s respectively. “They both said the brain is like muscle, it needs exercise so you need to keep doing that,” he said.
Newey is strongly fancied to join Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari once he becomes available in the second quarter of next year, with Jordan having helped him to negotiate an early release from the Red Bull contract he signed 12 months ago. That would allow him to have an influence on the design of the team’s car for 2026 when new technical regulations come into effect.
McLaren and Williams have also thrown their hats in the ring, while Aston Martin are believed to have made Newey an offer.
The interview with Jordan took place at the Yacht Club de Monaco and was ostensibly a marketing video for Oyster Yachts. Newey has commissioned an Oyster 885. Jordan owns an Oyster 495.
“Do I go again or do I enjoy my Oyster Yacht and sail off into the sunset?” Newey said when asked about his future. “I feel a little bit tired at the moment, but at some point I’ll probably go again.”
Newey was coy on his reasons for leaving Red Bull. It is understood he was unhappy with the constant politics behind the scenes, with a power struggle taking place between the Austrian and Thai ownership, which has been brought into sharp focus by the ongoing Christian Horner controversy.
The Red Bull team principal was accused earlier this year of controlling and coercive behaviour by a female employee. Horner denied all charges and was cleared by an internal investigation, although the employee in question has appealed.
“To walk away from Red Bull was a very hard decision but it was one I needed to take for a whole host of reasons,” Newey said. “They [Red Bull] had been my family.”
He added that he had been caught by surprise by the level of interest in his decision. “I never really thought it would be big news so for it to be in all the flipping papers and on the telly was almost a bit of a shock,” he said.
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