Formula 1 design legend Adrian Newey has opened up about his decision to leave Red Bull Racing in 2025, marking the end of an illustrious two-decade stint that helped the team secure 13 world titles. Newey, the most decorated individual in Formula 1 history, revealed that his desire for new challenges, along with a sense that Red Bull wants to prove its capabilities independently, played a key role in his decision to depart.
Red Bull had announced earlier this year that Newey would be leaving in Spring 2025. Shortly after, it was revealed that he would be joining Aston Martin as Managing Technical Partner, where he will oversee their technical department as Formula 1 prepares for a regulation overhaul in 2026.
Speaking on the High Performance Podcast, Newey dismissed rumors that internal tension within Red Bull contributed to his exit, instead emphasizing his own need to take on fresh challenges as the driving force behind his decision.
“I suppose I find that there comes a point where I feel as if I need new challenges,” Newey said. “The team’s reached a good level of maturity. It’s a very mature engineering organization. So in a way, I’ve kind of done my bit, and I started to feel as if we’re going a little bit stale.”
Newey has been instrumental in the design of every championship-winning car at Red Bull, starting with the RB6 in 2010 to the dominant RB19 in 2023. However, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner had downplayed the extent of Newey’s influence on recent designs, noting that it would be “wrong to pull out any single individual” for their contributions.
Reflecting on his looming departure, Newey acknowledged that he sensed Red Bull’s desire to show that it can continue its winning ways without his leadership in the technical department.
“I think the guys also felt, perhaps, that they needed to show that they could do it on their own,” Newey explained. “So I thought, ‘Well, okay, let’s give them the chance and give myself a new challenge.’”
Now 65, Newey admitted that he never expected to still be working in Formula 1 at his age. However, his passion for the sport and the challenges it offers have kept him engaged far longer than he initially anticipated.
“I think if I go back even 15 years, certainly 20 years, and say, ‘Would I want to be at work beyond 60?’ Probably not,” Newey conceded. “Would I want to be at work beyond 65? Absolutely not. But then you get there… I enjoy the challenge, and I’ve loved the career I’ve always dreamt of from a little kid.”
Despite his ongoing passion for Formula 1, Newey also admitted that the sport’s demanding nature has come with sacrifices, particularly in terms of family life. As he prepares for his next chapter with Aston Martin, balancing his personal and professional life remains a challenge.
“Formula 1 can be all-consuming,” he said. “And with that consumption, of course, comes compromises, particularly family life and friends. And that’s the difficult bit.”
Newey’s legacy at Red Bull is undeniable, but as he steps into a new role at Aston Martin, his influence on the future of Formula 1 will undoubtedly continue to shape the sport.
