According to what the with the BBC the announcement of Adrian Newey's departure from Red Bull, originally scheduled for yesterday, will not be made until May 2nd. This decision would have been taken by F1, to give the right space to the commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the tragic Imola weekend in 1994, marked by the losses of Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna, who died within a day of each other . The farewell would also correspond to the signing with Ferrari, news relaunched by Journal of Sport which reports on a rather suspicious trip by the Red team principal, Frederic Vasseur, landed in London to discuss with Newey.
The main obstacle concerns above all the gardening period and the constraints for the super designer. Constraints that Newey himself would have tried to avoid with long negotiations.
Newey's farewell
The news of the imminent farewell it had been anticipated by F1 Insider and confirmed by other authoritative sources in the sector. However, despite the wait, no communication arrived. A delay that would have been due to a request from F1, so as not to divert attention from the tragic events of 1994 in Imola, which changed the history of this sport and of two drivers forever.
Newey's farewell would not come as a bolt from the blue. According to the BBC, Newey has been negotiating for a long time to end his contract with the team early. Leaving behind a long and fruitful collaboration. All in order to be able to join another team already at the beginning of 2025. Free from contractual constraints that would otherwise have tied him to Red Bull until the end of 2025. With a further non-compete clause valid for 2026.
Internal Crisis
The official announcement of the farewell to Red Bull and its future team is therefore expected no earlier than May 2nd, coinciding with the race weekend in Miami, where Newey will be present in the paddock.
At the basis of this farewell there would be the increasingly complex relationships between Christian Horner and Adrian Newey. The situation then worsened with accusations of sexual harassment made by an employee against Horner, which he has always denied. Although he was cleared by an internal investigation, the case reignited an internal power struggle also involving Helmut Marko and Red Bull's minority shareholders. This climate of tension and uncertainty, in addition to the increasingly marginal position reserved for Newey, could have influenced the decision to seek new opportunities, definitively closing this long chapter.
What future awaits Newey?
With 2026 upon us and new technical regulations on the way, Newey could be a valuable asset for any team that manages to secure him. Among the eligible candidates there are Ferrari, Aston Martin and, despite Toto Wolff's declarations of disinterest, Mercedes cannot be completely ruled out either. Ferrari, in particular, has shown persistent interest over the years, and appears to be ahead in the race to secure his signature.
According to what Gazzetta dello Sport reports, “Ferrari is waiting for Newey, who won the last Drivers' World Championship in 2007 with Kimi Raikkonen, in other words a mission. Yesterday Fred Vasseur, the team principal of the red, did not travel with the team to Miami, where they will compete on Sunday. He flew to London instead. Reason? Meet Newey himself in the evening, perhaps to conclude the agreement that has been whispered about for some time, which will bring the English genius to Maranello from next season. It is likely that the announcement of the signing will be made after the GP. The designer will be able to work on the 2026 car immediately, without constraints related to gardening, proving fundamental with one's ideas to best interpret the new technical regulation that will come into force. An aspect in which he has always been a master."
So after Hamilton, Vasseur would have prepared yet another transfer coup which fits in with the ambitions of Ferrari, eager to regain the drivers' title that has been missing since 2007 with Raikkonen. Or the builders one that has been missing since 2008.
