F1: Adrian Newey leaving Red Bull is seismic - repercussions for Christian Horner could be huge

Max Verstappen is rightly receiving all the plaudits for his dominant driving, a fourth world title already looking a formality just five races into this new Formula One season.

And for those outside looking in, the previous key figure in F1 was Lewis Hamilton.

But far greater than either of them in the sport’s annals is 65-year-old Adrian Newey, the ultimate Top Trump in F1’s house of cards.

Hamilton’s shift from Mercedes to Ferrari was seismic when announced just weeks before the start of this season.

The news, however, that Newey has told Red Bull he wants to leave after nearly two decades at the team may lack the same razzmatazz but is probably of far greater consequence.

There have been repeated approaches from all over the grid for much of Newey’s tenure in Milton Keynes. But along with the 200-plus grand prix victories and 13 drivers’ titles, not to mention creating some of the greatest racing cars of all time, he told me that Red Bull had been the favourite period of his career. That is why, when rivals waved blank cheques around him to improve on a £15million-a-year salary, he signed for another year until the end of 2025.

Adrian Newey has been a crucial factor in Red Bull’s dominance (Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

The official line from Red Bull is exactly that. “Adrian is contracted until at least the end of 2025 and we are unaware of him joining any other team,” the wording careful and delivered fully in the knowledge that Aston Martin have tabled an offer and Ferrari let it be known that Newey can effectively name his price to join up with Hamilton there next season.

So, why leave the team that is dominating F1? Speaking to him a couple of seasons ago, he told me: “When I joined Red Bull, people thought I was committing career suicide. It’s been the most satisfying [period] because, along with Christian [Horner], we took it from the ashes of Jaguar to how we want it.”

In the early days, he and Horner would have lunch every day at the team’s headquarters. They still fly to races together, are often glued to the hip. Their offices are divided by two large glass panels just a few steps apart.

At the heart of the matter is not so much that Newey has reached a dead end for Red Bull projects. Part of the lure in getting him to stay was allowing him to work on the company’s hyper car, the prototype of which will be released later this year. But a man who has always shied away from public confrontation was left uneasy by the Horner saga and the complaint against him by a female colleague.

Despite being cleared of any wrongdoing, it drags on, acting as a backdrop to a wider power struggle between factions owning and running the energy drinks company.

Newey could join Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari (REUTERS)

Before all that, Newey had said in an interview that leaving would be, “like walking out on your family”, but clearly relations have soured beyond what he is willing to deal with. Plus, there is the opportunity ahead of the latest regulations in 2026 to work with something new on what would ultimately be his last job.

The appeal of Ferrari and Hamilton would perhaps scratch a final itch, and his wife Amanda has reportedly been searching for properties in Italy. Red Bull will clearly fight tooth and nail for his future, and could even hold him to a draconian gardening leave which would deny his involvement in shaping any 2026 project.

But he has made it clear his time is up — and the effect of his departure is seismic. Red Bull have tried to downplay his influence in recent months, insisting the team are the sum of the parts of the engineering team he has built around him.

And yet they know full well it is his aerodynamic expertise which has put Red Bull head and shoulders above the rest of the grid.

The knock-on effect could also have further repercussions. Rumours of Verstappen’s future will not go away, with Mercedes ready to jump in for his services, and what would that mean for Horner? He may have survived the initial onslaught but, without his two biggest figures and, in Newey, his biggest ally, what next?

Register now for one of the Evening Standard’s newsletters. From a daily news briefing to Homes & Property insights, plus lifestyle, going out, offers and more. For the best stories in your inbox, click here.