F1 News: Adrian Newey Reveals Real Reason Behind Leaving Red Bull For Aston Martin

Alex Harrington | Oct 7, 2024

May 4, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Crew members push the car of Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen (1) back to the paddock after the F1 Sprint Race at Miami International Autodrome. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-Imagn Images / John David Mercer-Imagn Images

After months of speculation and rumor, acclaimed aerodynamics engineer Adrian Newey announced his departure from Red Bull Racing, a team he has spent nearly two decades shaping. On March 1 of 2025, Newey will start a new journey with Aston Martin as its Managing Technical Partner. Now, talking with F1, the designer has revealed what finally pushed him to leave the Milton Keynes squad.

Known for his visionary contributions to Formula 1, has been less involved in the day-to-day operations of Red Bull's F1 team since the Japanese Grand Prix in April.

"My work with Red Bull, I’ve been out of the Formula 1 team really since after Suzuka, whenever that was, [in] April," Newey shared, via F1. Instead, his focus has shifted to the RB17 track car, a project that we saw firsthand at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

"But I’ve still been working hard on the RB17 track car, which has been a sort of side project/passion project really, which I’ve hugely enjoyed because it’s something just a little bit different to Formula 1," he said. “It’s applying all the same principles that I’ve learned from Formula 1, but to a different application. So I’m still working on that and I will still be working on that until the 1st of March, and then I will still be working on that after that 1st of March date but not from the factory as much.”

Newey attributes his change in career to a diminishing sense of inspiration when it came to the RB20, the car that replaced the most dominant car in F1 history with a 95.5% win rate.

The famed engineer admitted to feeling as though he was "going through the motions" in his previous role.

"You start feeling as if you’re going through the motions, as if you’re doing it on automatic," he explained, adding that the lack of "waking up in the middle of the night with a fresh ping of an idea" indicated to him a need for change. The RB17 rekindled this creative spark, but he knew it was time for a fresh challenge.

Opting for Aston Martin marks a chapter of renewal for Newey, and mirrorings the team's level of amitiousness, he's excited to begin.

"The team’s [Red Bull] reached a good level of maturity... so in a way I’ve kind of done my bit," he continued. “I started to feel as if we were going a little bit stale. I think the guys also felt as if perhaps they needed to show that they could do it on their own, so I thought, ‘Okay, let’s give them the chance and give myself a new challenge.'”

Despite reducing how much time he'll be spending at Red Bull's facilities, Newey will remain connected remotely to work on the brand's first hypercar. "It’ll be more talking to the guys by video conference or whatever, [talking via] emails. And then when the car starts track testing, which will be next summer, then [I’ll be] attending track tests," he said.