Adrian Newey’s Manager Reveals Shocking Retirement Plan After Red Bull Exit

Now that Red Bull has officially announced Adrian Newey’s exit, all eyes shift to the Technical mastermind’s next move. While the offer from Aston Martin is lucrative in terms of money, Ferrari’s counter-offer promises to fulfill his dream of working with Lewis Hamilton and the iconic F1 team. However, it’s the third, upsetting possibility of Newey retiring that has everybody concerned. Moreover, his manager and close friend Eddie Jordan’s statement has intensified this possibility.

Newey has given 18 years of his life to serve Red Bull’s goal of being the World Champions. The cars he designed propelled the Milton Keynes outfit to have two supremely dominant periods in F1, with Sebastian Vettel, and Max Verstappen. But with great power came great responsibility. With billions on the line, that responsibility brought constant pressure, despite how rewarding the results have been. Eddie Jordan has indicated the same, revealing how Newey’s potential retirement could be possible after this Red Bull exit.

“Remember that he’s been in Red Bull under constant pressure,” Jordan said in a clip from an unreleased episode of the Formula for Success podcast. “So if he’s gonna take time out and just cruise for a while, then everyone would understand that. That’s (retirement) probably more likely to see rather than diving into any other possible employment career. Things have slightly changed. He’s got a bit older.”

The former Jordan F1 team owner also elaborated on how a considerable part of Newey’s success is also because of Red Bull’s key advantages that aligned for the multiple world championships. “This is a great team. He’s had great drivers there, he’s got great personnel there. He probably should and would look to the future about a change of life,” he added.

If Newey indeed retires, F1 will lose its most successful car designer ever. Moreover, Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton could lose out on a dream partnership in their quest for a much-awaited World Championship. While this retirement revelation adds a new layer to the Ferrari talks, it is believed that Newey is closer than ever to signing for the Maranello outfit.

Adrian Newey is extremely close to signing for Ferrari

Ferrari is F1’s most successful team ever, with 16 constructors’ championships to its name. The Italian team has had discussions with Adrian Newey on two occasions to lure him into designing cars for them (in 1993 and 2014). Unfortunately, neither discussion led to a signed contract, as evident. However, ever since Frederic Vasseur has taken over as Team Principal, their fortunes have changed.

The Frenchman made it possible to poach Lewis Hamilton from Mercedes – an unthinkable transfer. As per reports, Vasseur is seeing success in doing the same for Newey. The duo have had a private meeting in London to discuss a potential contract for 2025. With Newey’s lawyers successfully negotiating to end the RB gardening leave in the first quarter of 2025, it’s all coming together.

Some Italian media have even confirmed that Ferrari has already signed Newey and an official announcement can be expected after the Miami GP. Even the word ‘seismic’ falls short of describing what F1 fans are witnessing in 2024. Is Ferrari en route to breaking their championship curse in 2026? It all seems like a well-directed drama unfolding.