Red Bull staff ‘shocked’ by ‘odd’ thing Adrian Newey has done after not speaking to him for four months

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Adrian Newey may have attended his final race as a Red Bull employee. The legendary designer will join Aston Martin in the first quarter of 2025.

Initially, the plan was for Newey to be present a select few Grands Prix before the season was out. But reports suggest that has now changed.

Red Bull are unhappy with Aston Martin for unveiling the 65-year-old while he was still on their books. They’ve subsequently taken him off the travel rota for the remainder of 2024.

Newey’s calendar was determined by the key marketing opportunities for the RB17 hypercar. That has been the focus of his work since the spring.

The Englishman decided to leave Red Bull around the time of the Japanese GP in April. Since then, he hasn’t been involved with the F1 project.

Christian Horner has already blocked Newey’s data access as he prepares to join a rival team. They don’t want him taking too many secrets with him to their Silverstone-based competitors.

Red Bull figures don’t understand why Adrian Newey wants to ‘work for the Strolls’

Newey has been with Red Bull since 2006, just the second year of their existence. In that time, he’s helped to build seven championship-winning cars, four for Sebastian Vettel and three (to date) for Max Verstappen.

But his exit doesn’t seem to be particularly harmonious. Indeed, some Red Bull staff told Peter Windsor at the Singapore Grand Prix that they haven’t spoken to Newey since May.

They’re also stunned that he’s chosen to join Aston Martin. Lawrence Stroll’s team currently occupy a lonely fifth place in the constructors’ standings.

Newey is unhappy with Horner after he supposedly downplayed his influence on the team’s success. That has tested their close relationship.

“Just talking to a few of the Red Bull people now about Adrian leaving, and what a shock it was really,” Windsor said on his YouTube channel. “A lot of the guys I’ve spoken to say they haven’t really spoken to him since Miami.

“He’s just gone off. Nobody can really understand why he’s done that – leave Red Bull to go and work for the Strolls. It seems a rather odd thing to do.”

The ‘genius’ Adrian Newey is excited to work with at Aston Martin

There are a number of compelling reasons to join Aston Martin right now despite their underwhelming results. One of those is undeniably the money.

Newey could earn up to £30m per year if he triggers certain bonus clauses. That could make him one of the highest-paid non-athletes across all of sport.

But there are also sporting incentives. Stroll is hugely ambitious and, to that end, he’s struck an exclusive Honda engine deal from 2026 onwards.

He’s also hired an array of world-class engineers across multiple departments. Newey is especially excited to work with Andy Cowell, the former Mercedes engine mastermind dubbed a ‘genius’ by Eddie Jordan.