Christian Horner insists that Red Bull Racing knew the time would come for Adrian Newey to leave and that the structure was already ready to “pick up the baton” . Newey’s departure was confirmed shortly before the Miami GP weekend, and from now on he will focus on finishing the RB17 road car project before officially leaving the organisation.
HORNER: “WE HAVE A STRUCTURE CAPABLE OF TAKING UP NEWEY’S BATON”
There has been much speculation about his future, with Ferrari the most likely destination, although he insists he will take a break and has not yet made a decision. “I think Adrian decided it was time for him, after almost 35 years [in F1], with the team, the strength and the engineering depth that we have, to step aside,” Horner said.
“And we knew the time would come. We have built a structure capable of picking up the baton and carrying it forward. And it’s something that had been in place for the last five or six years.”
Horner then denied that the team’s recent internal conflict played a role in Newey’s decision: “I talked to Adrian about it at length,” he said. “And Adrian’s position is very clear. We had an excellent relationship and continue to have it. We are friends as well as work colleagues. And he did a lot for this team.
“We will be sad to see him go, but he has left the team in good shape. And we have a great group of people with the strength and dedication to take us forward.” He then continued:
“Unfortunately, nothing lasts forever. Adrian was at Williams for seven years, he was at McLaren for seven years. And we managed to have it for 18 years. So I think we had some good times, on and off the track. It was a wonderful journey with him. He is a friend. He is the godfather of my children.
“We remain friends and colleagues. I think we are well-positioned for the future. And I also think that in our technical team we always knew that this day would come. And it’s something that we’ve been aware of since 2014 when Adrian was very close to leaving, that that facility was built.”
HORNER: “NEWEY WILL COME TO SOME RACES BUT HIS ATTENTION IS ONLY FOCUSED ON THE RB17”
Horner also played down the possibility of Newey eventually joining another team, suggesting it would not be easy to afford or fit him into an organisation: “Adrian, I think, will take a bit of time away from F1,” he said.
“At 65 you can’t blame him; I think he has earned this right. He has earned the right to take some time off. So, what he chooses to do next will be his choice. F1 is a very complicated business now, particularly with the budget cap elements you have to take into consideration. You have to think very carefully about where you can spend your funding, your budgets, what resources, where you will get the best value for money.”
“I think obviously we’ve had a structure that has evolved around Adrian over the years and has been able to adapt to his way of working. He is the only designer in F1 who still works from a drawing board. But of course, as the regulations have become increasingly stricter and Adrian’s role has evolved and developed within the team in recent years, others have had to step up. We have had to change and evolve the way we work, which is the same in any organization. And he must continue to evolve and adapt. And that’s what we did.”
While Newey was at the Red Bull pit wall in Miami, Horner pointed out that he has already taken a step back from direct involvement in the F1 team: “Adrian’s attention is now focused on the RB17, ” he said. “He did not attend any briefings over the weekend, apart from the one on race strategy. He doesn’t have access to any data. He isn’t designing any components. His attention is now very focused on the RB17 until the end of his contract. He will participate in some races between now and the end of the year, mainly where we have our RB17 customers.”
