‘That’s obscene’ – Adrian Newey Red Bull salary demand revealed in Horner book claim

Christian Horner has revealed how Red Bull was left shocked by Adrian Newey’s demand of £6million per year during negotiations to sign the F1 design legend from McLaren in 2005.

Horner claims that Red Bull founder Dietrich Mateschitz described the demands, made by Newey’s then-wife, as “obscene” and “disgusting” before eventually agreeing to pay.

Christian Horner reveals eye-opening Adrian Newey salary demand to join Red Bull

Horner led Red Bull to six constructors’ titles and eight drivers’ championships – split evenly between Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen – in a 20-year spell in charge between 2005 and 2025.

The Briton secured a major coup early in his tenure when he convinced Newey, a title-winning designer with Williams and McLaren, to join Red Bull from 2006.

Newey played an instrumental role in Red Bull’s F1 success before leaving for Aston Martin in 2024, with Horner sacked by the team a year later.

Writing in his new memoir, Drive, Horner has revealed how Red Bull was left stunned when Newey’s then-wife Marigold demanded £6million per year to join Red Bull.

Horner had previously been under the impression that Newey had been earning £3million annually at McLaren.

Recalling his pursuit of Newey, Horner revealed that he invited Newey in for a drink when he spotted the designer studying Red Bull’s hospitality unit in the paddock at the 2005 San Marino Grand Prix at Imola.

With rumours circulating that Newey was unhappy at McLaren, Horner was left with the impression that the designer was attainable to Red Bull and mentioned the idea to David Coulthard, who had joined Red Bull from McLaren at the start of 2005.

Horner said: “Having Adrian at Red Bull would be a dream.”

Coulthard replied: “You’ll have to convince his wife, Marigold. She’s the key.”

Horner – who describes Marigold’s reputation as “a formidable operator and an expert negotiator” – continued his courting of Newey by inviting the designer to the premiere of the latest Star Wars film following a tie-up between Red Bull and the movie at that year’s Monaco Grand Prix.

He and Coulthard both met the Neweys at a restaurant in Chelsea, where Horner remembers Coulthard saying: “You focus on Adrian. I’ll deal with Marigold.”

In an attempt to seal the deal, Mateschitz flew Horner, Coulthard and the Neweys to Red Bull’s Hangar-7 facility in Austria.

Horner writes: “Straight away, I noticed a tension in Marigold. She lived off Diet Coke and cigarettes and was utterly convinced that Ron Dennis’s spies were about to spot her husband in enemy territory, a move the McLaren leader would likely view as an act of betrayal.

“She was clearly terrified of the contractual ramifications, and once we landed, Marigold pulled a baseball cap and a pair of dark glasses from her bag. For Adrian.”

Mateschitz joined the party for dinner before leaving on his Harley-Davidson motorcycle, with Horner making an offer after sensing that Newey was “charmed.”

Horner writes: “Feeling reassured, I later presented him with my pitch: ‘I would love you to join us as our chief technical officer.’

“Instantly, Marigold leaned over: ‘We’d be prepared to sign if you’re willing to offer the same financial package as McLaren.’

“In preparation for this very moment, I had obtained the details of Adrian’s salary through DC. McLaren were supposedly paying him £3million a year, a huge sum, but one that Dietrich was happy to match.

“Turning to Marigold, I did my best to feign ignorance.

“‘Well, that’s fair enough,’ I said. ‘And how much would that be?’

“‘Six million pounds is his base salary,’ said Marigold. ‘That’s what you would need to match.’

“I felt like I’d been kicked. Either Marigold was playing us, or DC was being fed incorrect information. Not wanting to waste any time, I excused myself from the table and called Dietrich.

“‘So, the good news is that Adrian is willing to join us if we can match his McLaren salary,’ I said.

“Dietrich was ecstatic. ‘That’s great. We can do that—’

“I cut in quickly. ‘The bad news is … that he’s being paid six million quid a year.’

“Dietrich exploded. ‘That’s obscene!’ he yelled. ‘No … It’s disgusting. How can one person earn so much money?’

“He ranted for another five minutes. At one point, I held the phone away from my ear for a break. Dietrich was livid.

“‘Send him home immediately,’ he shouted and hung up.

“My plans were in tatters. I walked back towards the table, where Adrian and Marigold were expecting an appealing offer, but I was out of options.

“Then, before I reached them, the phone rang again. It was Dietrich. I braced myself.

“‘This is the right thing for the team,’ he said, sounding calmer. ‘Go for it.’

“I sighed. ‘I think you’re right, Dietrich—’

“‘Just make it happen.'”

Horner added that the key points of the deal were agreed with a handshake, with the “stickiest issue” proving to be retrieving Newey’s drawing board from McLaren’s factory.

Newey was insistent that the drawing board, which he had also used at Williams, had to join him at Red Bull, with Horner groaning: “You know Ron’s going to kill me when I ask him, don’t you?”

Horner said Dennis gave him an “explosive dressing-down”, with the Red Bull boss offering to sweeten the deal by writing a cheque to a charity of Dennis’s choice.

Following his departure from Red Bull in 2024, Newey officially started work with Aston Martin in March 2025 as managing technical partner, becoming a team shareholder in the process, before being promoted to the role of team principal ahead of 2026.

PlanetF1.com revealed in September that Newey holds an approximate 4.7 per cent stake in the Aston Martin Formula 1 team through a so-called alphabet shareholding.

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