Adrian Newey bombshell? Shock new rumours of a Red Bull split emerge – report

A report in German media claims Adrian Newey and Red Bull are about to part ways, after almost two decades together.

Adrian Newey is set to confirm his departure from Red Bull, according to Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport.

Adrian Newey under long-term contract with Red Bull

The F1 car designer, the most successful in the sport’s history and overseer of the designs of the dominant RB18, RB19 and the currently championship-leading RB20, has been reported as being set to announce his departure from Red Bull soon.

According to Auto Motor und Sport and the BBC, Newey is set to confirm his split with Red Bull after becoming unhappy about an internal power struggle that has been waged ever since the confirmation of an internal investigation by Red Bull GmbH into team boss Christian Horner – the investigation later being dismissed.

With Newey spending some time recently working on the RB17 hypercar project, AMuS claim the designer has become unhappy about his step back from the coalface in F1 – Newey missed the Australian Grand Prix and Chinese Grand Prix recently but was on the Red Bull pit wall in Japan.

Last year, Newey signed a new three-year deal with Red Bull to stay with Milton Keynes until the conclusion of 2025 but, recently, rumours of big-money offers from Aston Martin and Ferrari have emerged, with Newey also reportedly spotted at Bologna Airport in Italy to coincide with the Ferrari speculation.

PlanetF1.com recommends

Ranked: The top 10 most successful Adrian Newey Formula 1 car designs

Red Bull RB17: The £5million hypercar with huge Adrian Newey influence

Could Adrian Newey actually leave Red Bull?

With Newey under contract at Red Bull, a swift departure is unlikely given the huge financial blow that would be incurred on his end, as well as the necessary gardening leave period the 65-year-old would have to sit through before joining another team.

But there can be no doubt that Newey is one of the most valuable names on the F1 grid – perhaps even more so than most of the drivers.

Having been the engineering mastermind behind some of the most dominant F1 cars in history, with title-winning machines stemming back to the 1990s, Newey commands a huge pay packet rumoured at $10 million annually.

But rumours about other teams attempting to snaffle Newey away emerge regularly, with the designer recently telling RacingNews365 that he doesn’t “plan too far forward” about speculation over his future.

“I enjoy [it],” Newey said. “Ever since I was 10 or so, certainly by 12, I wanted to be a designer – I don’t think I knew the word ‘engineer’ – in motor racing, and ideally, Formula 1.

“That’s what I [put] all my teenage years towards. I managed to get that first job in motor racing when I graduated.

“I’ve hugely enjoyed it, and I continue to enjoy it.

“So I think as long as I continue to enjoy it and the team wants me then I’ll continue to do it for the moment and then we’ll have to see in the future.

“I don’t tend to plan too far forward.”

Should Newey part ways with Red Bull, he will not be short on options. Ferrari is a possibility, with Fred Vasseur aiming to pull together a title-challengine team under his watch after already snaffling Lewis Hamilton away from Mercedes.

Mercedes, who already employ the services of James Allison as their technical director, is a less likely destination but, with Toto Wolff trying to tempt Max Verstappen away from Red Bull, the prospect of keeping himself in a Newey-designed machine could play a key factor in the future – but would step on the toes of Allison.

With new regulations incoming for 2026, including brand-new chassis and aero regulations, Newey could prove invaluable for whichever team secures his services – whether that be a continuation of his tenure at Red Bull at the two-decade mark, or if a rival team manages to tempt him away.

Read Next: Red Bull issue response as Adrian Newey departure rumours swirl