Newey Reveals When He Decided to Leave Red Bull

Aston Martin’s new Formula 1 designer, Adrian Newey, has revealed that he made the decision to leave Red Bull during the Japanese Grand Prix in April.

Aston Martin announced that Newey would join the team as Executive Technical Director under a long-term contract, starting his new role after his successful 18-year stint at Red Bull ends in March 2025.

Newey, who secured six Drivers’ and seven Constructors’ Championships with Red Bull, described the Suzuka race as a turning point. He shared that Aston Martin owner Lawrence Stroll reached out to him after this decision. However, at first, Newey was unsure about whether he wanted to continue in Formula 1.

Newey stated: “I decided to leave Red Bull, and that really happened during the Suzuka weekend in April.”

“At the time, I had no idea what would come next.”

“I didn’t know what the future held. I wanted to clear my head, take some time off, and maybe during a moment of reflection, a spark would ignite, telling me where I should go next. My wife Mandy played a big role in this process; we discussed it a lot and decided what we should do.”

By the end of June, Newey had made the decision to continue his career as a motorsport designer.

“I’ve dreamed of being a motorsport designer since I was about 10 years old. I’ve been fortunate to live that dream.”

“I wouldn’t say I enjoyed every single day of my career, but over 90% of it has been immensely enjoyable.”

“I still love the challenge of trying to improve the car’s performance. That’s my main motivation. It’s what gets me out of bed in the morning.”

“The great thing about technical sports—by that I mean the combination of human and machine—is that you get immediate feedback on how you’re doing.”

“When things don’t go well, it can be painful, of course, but you get that feedback.”

“And when I compare this to some of my friends from university and my aerospace course, many of whom ended up working for British Aerospace and Rolls-Royce engines, they never got any feedback. So I think I made a good choice in working in this field.”

Newey had come close to leaving Red Bull on multiple occasions. In 2014, Renault’s underperforming engine made him question his future in the sport.

However, Red Bull’s decision to collaborate with Aston Martin on the Valkyrie hybrid sports car and appoint Newey to the project convinced him to turn down Ferrari’s offer.

Since Formula 1’s transition to ground effect in 2022, Red Bull has won all the championships, and Newey now believes it’s the right time to take on a new challenge with Aston Martin.

“Back in 2014, with the introduction of hybrid engines, we were in a position where we didn’t have a very competitive power unit and couldn’t see any light at the end of the tunnel.”

“That’s when I felt I needed something else to get involved in, and that became the Valkyrie.”

“After we secured the Honda power unit, we were in a much different position, and I returned to the Formula 1 side in ’16.”

“But by the time we reached the research and design peak of the 2022 car, which was our major regulation change vehicle, I felt I could take a step back because the ’23 and this year’s car were evolutions of that initial design.”

“But now, this is something different, a new challenge, a new incentive, and I always aim to do what’s best for the team.”