What Adrian Newey said to Christian Horner after his influence on Red Bull’s success was questioned

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Adrian Newey’s next destination in the Formula 1 paddock is about to be revealed after nearly two decades at Red Bull Racing.

For the third time in his career – after spells at Williams and McLaren – Adrian Newey has been part of a team that’s won both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships.

Newey has helped the likes of Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Damon Hill, Jacques Villeneuve and Mika Hakkinen win titles before deciding to take on the project at Red Bull.

Just a few years after joining the Milton Keynes-based outfit, Newey and Red Bull had achieved their goal of dominating Formula 1.

Sebastian Vettel was the driver who delivered the trophy in 2010 in the RB6 and the German and his team were unstoppable for the next four years.

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

Max Verstappen is the latest star to replicate that feat and is currently on his way to matching Vettel’s four-year streak

However, according to BBC Sport, team principal Christian Horner has been attempting to play down Newey’s influence on Red Bull’s achievements ahead of his exit.

Red Bull have lost several key figures including Rob Marshall and will soon lose Jonathan Wheatley to Audi.

Newey wasn’t happy with the suggestion that he wasn’t as influential on Red Bull’s success as Horner believed and, in an email, let him know his feelings.

Adrian Newey’s message to Christian Horner after his Red Bull achievements were downplayed

Part of the tensions that led to Newey deciding to walk away from Red Bull came down to how much credit he received for the success of Red Bull’s cars.

Horner has attempted in the past to downplay Newey’s importance and talk up the likes of Pierre Wache and Enrico Balbo.

READ MORE: Lawrence Stroll ‘personally’ offered two Red Bull ‘kingpins’ Aston Martin shares to follow Adrian Newey

Inside Red Bull, Newey pushed back against this suggestion and is said to have sent a ‘detailed letter’ to Horner listing all the times he had made ‘crucial interventions’ in the development of the team’s cars.

Newey no longer works full-time on Red Bull’s F1 project with the RB17 the latest car he’s developed during his time with the team.

However, even if he’s not working on the RB20 or its predecessors full-time, with just 50% of his time invested in Red Bull’s Formula 1 cars, his vision means that he’s still able to stop a problem or a solution before anyone else in the team.

Helmut Marko makes Adrian Newey claim after 20 years of Red Bull

It’s a coincidence that Red Bull’s downturn this season has coincided with Newey’s announcement of his departure.

However, Red Bull could have benefitted from the 65-year-old casting his eye over the RB20 to see if he could have figured out their balance issues.

Horner has suggested he knows 100% what’s wrong with the car but whether they can fix it quickly enough to fend off McLaren and Lando Norris is another matter.

Helmut Marko has claimed that Newey is the most important signing Red Bull have ever made, above the recruitment of Vettel and Verstappen as youngsters.

It’s hard to disagree and Aston Martin will hope that he has a similar impact if and when he’s announced as the newest member of their technical team for 2025 and beyond.