Eddie Jordan quizzed on his role in Adrian Newey talks as Red Bull departure confirmed
Adrian Newey thanked his "close friend and manager" Eddie Jordan when announcing his departure from Red Bull.
Eddie Jordan was asked about how he potentially helped Adrian Newey negotiate his exit from Red Bull, with the news having been confirmed on Wednesday.
Newey’s quote in Red Bull’s press release announcing his departure saw him thank his “close friend and manager” Jordan among other key Red Bull personnel, with the chief technology officer set to depart in the first quarter of 2025.
Eddie Jordan asked about role in Adrian Newey departure from Red Bull
While the possibility of an exit from Red Bull had been reported for days leading up to an official announcement, the news still caused a shock as Newey gets set to leave a role which he will have held for 19 years by the time he departs.
Having now stepped back from Formula 1 design duties to work on the completion of Red Bull’s RB17 hypercar project until he leaves the team, Jordan admitted that he’s “had to get my work boots on” and “sharpen the pencil up a little bit” of late, given his role as Newey’s personal representation.
Speaking on the newest episode of the Formula For Success podcast, co-host David Coulthard asked Jordan to confirm or deny if Newey had sought his advice in discussions with Red Bull – and while the former eponymous team boss was tight-lipped on that subject, he did give an insight into the closeness of their relationship.
He said: “In the long time that I’ve known him and I tried to sign him, and I remember going to his house and leaving a cheque for half a million in the hope that that might have been enough to entice him to come and be a designer at Jordan. That didn’t happen, he went to McLaren.
PlanetF1.com recommends
Follow PlanetF1.com’s WhatsApp channel for all the F1 breaking news!
Adrian Newey’s gardening leave explained: How F1 legend will spend his final days at Red Bull
“You know, when I think back of the time that I know him, because he was Leyton House in the late ’80s, ’90s, so that’s an awful long time, 30-odd years, and I’ve never heard a bad word said about him – and that’s often indicative of the kind of calibre of the person he is.
“Some would say he’s just brilliant when he has a pencil in his hand, and he becomes just a very normal, quiet, unassuming guy when he doesn’t have the pencil in his hand. And I think that is exactly him.
“So whatever his decision, we wish him well. I’m not going to, in this case, I’m joining you on the fence and I’m not going to say what is likely my advice, but you know, we do speak a lot.
“We do cycle an awful lot. I see him virtually every day for a two, three month period in the middle of our Christmas up here [in Europe] where it’s summertime in Cape Town.
“We’re next-door neighbours so to speak, and so there are certain things I know about and certain things he knows about me. But you know, my lips are sealed – you won’t get a word out of me!”
The amicable terms of Newey’s departure means after his first-quarter departure in 2025, he will be able to join another Formula 1 team if he chooses to remain on the grid in future – with Ferrari and Aston Martin both linked with his signature.
Read next: Audi F1 team quizzed on making their own big-money move for Adrian Newey
