Today’s news that design genius Adrian Newey is to leave the Red Bull team has shocked the world of F1 to its core, perhaps even more than Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari did a few months ago.
It brings to an end a 19-year association with Red Bull, during which time Newey was behind two of the most dominant eras in the history of the sport, winning four consecutive titles with Sebastian Vettel between 2010 and 2013, and now with Max Verstappen already well on the way to collecting his fourth title in a row this season. Red Bull have also won the Constructors’ title on six occasions on Newey’s watch.
Newey’s career goes back beyond Red Bull of course, winning titles with both Williams and McLaren, and it’s fair to say that Newey has been as big a figure in the sport as many of its most vaunted drivers over the last 30 years.
After all, how many designers get namechecked on the cover of Autosport, as Newey did back in January 2010, when Red Bull’s “big gamble” came under scrutiny? (Spoiler alert – the gamble paid off).
You can read all about how Newey ‘got radical again’ here.
