“He Leaves as a True Legend”: Christian Horner Ends Rumored Rift With Adrian Newey After Confirming Red Bull Exit

Red Bull has finally confirmed Adrian Newey’s saddening exit. After 18 legendary seasons with the Milton Keynes outfit, the British engineer will part ways with the team. He began his RB journey with close friend and TP Christian Horner, but the rumors of their current rift didn’t paint the prettiest of pictures. However, Horner has now paid an immensely heartwarming tribute to Newey, essentially putting an end to the rumor mill.

According to Red Bull’s official statement, Newey will depart in the first quarter of 2025. While his F1 involvement will cease, the CTO will continue working on the RB17 hypercar until its completion. Christian Horner has always had Newey’s support since Red Bull’s F1 beginnings. But now it’ll be relatively unknown territory for him.

“All of our greatest moments from the past 20 years have come with Adrian’s hand on the technical tiller,” Horner said in Red Bull’s official statement. “His vision and brilliance have helped us to 13 titles in 20 seasons. His exceptional ability to conceptualize beyond F1 and bring wider inspiration to bear on the design of Grand Prix cars, his remarkable talent for embracing change and finding the most rewarding areas of the rules to focus on, and his relentless will to win have helped Red Bull Racing to become a greater force than I think even the late Dietrich Mateschitz might have imagined,” the official release further stated.

“More than that, the past 19 years with Adrian have been enormous fun,” Horner added, contradicting the rumored rift. “For me, when Adrian joined Red Bull, he was already a superstar designer. Two decades and 13 Championships later, he leaves as a true legend. He is also my friend and someone I will be eternally grateful to for everything he brought to our partnership. The legacy he leaves behind will echo through the halls of Milton Keynes and RB17 Track Car will be a fitting testament and legacy to his time with us,” he concluded.

It is not just a professional loss for Red Bull, but a personal one. They are losing one of the founding fathers of the energy drink giant’s F1 endeavor. For Newey too, it has been an emotional rollercoaster.

Adrian Newey’s emotional message before departing Red Bull

18 years of working towards Red Bull’s sole goal will finally conclude for Adrian Newey. 6 Constructors’ Championships and 7 Drivers’ championships later, the Technical legend will set sails for another F1 team or retirement. His exit, unfortunately, comes when Max Verstappen and Red Bull look dominant enough to add one more championship to this tally.

“Ever since I was a young boy, I wanted to be a designer of fast cars,” Newey said in Red Bull’s statement, while adding, “My dream was to be an engineer in Formula One, and I’ve been lucky enough to make that dream a reality. For almost two decades, it has been my great honour to have played a key role in Red Bull Racing’s progress from upstart newcomer to multiple title-winning Team.”

This shock move can also have a ripple effect on the driver market. As for the Technical personnel market, Ferrari is in its best position to finally secure Newey’s services.