Adrian Newey shares what David Coulthard said to persuade him to leave McLaren for Red Bull

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When Adrian Newey joined Red Bull Racing in February 2006 before their second season in Formula 1, no one could have predicted just how successful their partnership would become.

Over the next two decades, Adrian Newey helped Red Bull win six Constructors’ Championships and seven Drivers’ Championships.

Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen have been the beneficiaries of his genius and 2024 could be the third straight season where Red Bull win both titles.

However, the 2024 season will be the last campaign that Newey and Red Bull work together before the 65-year-old moves on to his next challenge.

Newey’s most likely next team is Aston Martin but until an announcement is made, his final destination isn’t set in stone.

On the Talking Bull Podcast, Newey shared the story of the last time he switched between two teams.

In 2005, Newey was working for McLaren and after securing back-to-back drivers’ titles with Mika Hakkinen in 1998 and 1999, the team had come close without winning another championship.

McLaren’s other driver at the time was David Coulthard but he decided to make the switch to Red Bull for their maiden F1 campaign.

Newey has now shared what the Scot said to him when he was considering taking on a new challenge in Formula 1.

Alongside the work put in by team principal Christian Horner, they convince Newey that moving to the former Jaguar team was the right decision and it’s a decision that’s paid off for everyone involved.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Red Bull Racing from engine to Ford links

Adrian Newey shares what David Coulthard said to convince him to sign for Red Bull

Talking about the move, Newey said: “I was at McLaren before Red Bull and in 2005, we had a good little car. We won 10 races.

“But I just felt a bit stale at McLaren. I felt like I needed a new challenge so I started looking around and David Coulthard, of course, was driving for Red Bull in 2005, the first season.

“And he said, look, Adrian, I think this is a great team. You should think about it and at the same time, Christian made a habit of just happening to be walking the opposite way down the paddock and bumping into me.

“So, we started talking. I thought, well, it’s a big challenge, it’s a huge career risk but one I feel up for.

“So when I started, really, it was with the aspiration and hope that at some point we could win a race.”

Adrian Newey preparing for the next stage of his Formula 1 career

Throughout his time in F1, Newey has always looked for a challenge and after achieving everything he can with Red Bull, another team look set to benefit from his expertise.

Aston Martin are building a fantastic team around Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll, although Alonso is concerned by the lack of progress being made this year.

If Newey were to join Aston Martin then his focus would almost immediately be on their 2026 car.

Formula 1’s regulations change that year and Newey has already proved to be very adept at understanding new rulesets and spotting loopholes that other teams fail to recognise.

It’ll be interesting to know if Alonso or Stroll have worked on bringing Newey to the team in the same way that Coulthard did back in the day.

Newey has always been desperate to work with Alonso and that might end up playing a part in where he ends up next.