Adrian Newey’s F1 Future Post Red Bull Exit: Ferrari, Aston Martin or Retirement

Christian Horner, Helmut Marko, and Adrian Newey are the three pillars that built the Red Bull team and made the championship contenders. It is believed that even if one of the pillars fell, the whole team would come crashing down. Horner makes sure the team is well-oiled, Marko is responsible for looking after the talent and Newey develops the all-important machine. 

As of yesterday, It is believed that Adrian Newey has put in his request to leave the Milton Keynes stable and told the senior team member about the same, despite having signed an extension recently only. The power struggle at Red Bull after Horner’s investigation is suggested as the reason behind the exit. The rumors for Newey’s exit have been circling the paddock since the accusations were made on Horner- with Max Verstappen and Helmut Marko’s exit rumors adding substantiation to it. 

Red Bull promised Adrian Newey a new road-going supercar that he will be developing as a lure to keep him at the team and is said to be the reason he signed the extension with the team. But as his exit rumors gain traction, one can only wonder what the Red Bull mastermind’s move is going to be. There are three potential options according to sources. Either a move to Ferrari, or Aston Martin or even retirement from the sport. Let’s explore all the options and conclude as to what the best option might be.

Adrian Newey to Ferrari: Frederic Vasseur’s Never-Ending Pursuit

It wasn’t only Lewis Hamilton that Ferrari has been pursuing since last year, but also Adrian Newey. Frederic Vasseur is a true racer at heart and was brought in by Ferrari to get the Maranello-based team back to winning ways. And the results speak for themselves as Ferrari has improved significantly ever since the Frenchman arrived. His next move was to bring in a championship-winning driver and leader, which he accomplished in the form of Hamilton and now looks to bring in an Aerodynamic Mastermind. 

Back in the 2000s, Adrian Newey came super close to signing with Ferrari, but Christian Horner snatched him away from the Scuderia’s grasp. Ferrari is also believed to have contacted Newey last year before he extended his Red Bull contract. It is rumored that as recently as March of 2024, Ferrari again contacted Newey and offered him a place at Maranello. 

In an interview, Adrian Newey was asked about some of the regrets he’s had in F1, and the aerodynamicist named three. Not working with Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton were two of the reasons. The third one we’ll save for a bit later. Moving to Ferrari will tick off two of his these. But the Aston Martin option doesn’t look shabby either. 

Lawrence Stroll’s Colossal Offer to Adrian Newey. Why does an Aston Martin Move make sense? 

Remember we left Newey’s third regret out. It was not having worked with Fernando Alonso, a driver who he respects a lot. With Alonso signing his longest contract ever with Aston Martin, Adrian Newey will get the chance to work with the Spaniard and that’s not the only reason why the move makes sense. Lawrence Stroll is rumored to have offered the man an elephant-sized offer of $100 Million, which makes it a good opportunity for Newey to make hay while the sun is still shining, after all the Briton is 65 years old. 

Aston Martin has transformed themselves from a mid-field team to a big team after Lawrence Stroll’s multi-million dollar investments in resources and personnel. The new factory is coming along with the state-of-the-art wind tunnel going online this summer. This presents Newey with an opportunity to work with the fanciest of tools. And let’s not forget, his prodigy, Dan Fallow made a move to the green team as well after seeing the potential of the project in place. 

Even the Aston Martin-Honda partnership, an engine supplier that Newey has previously worked and achieved great success with might play a role. Lastly, the 65-year-old has already developed a hypercar for Aston Martin’s road division named the Valkyrie, and this partnership will further present an opportunity to get into the British team’s road cars division once again.

Retirement on the Horizon for Adrian Newey

There’s no running away from the fact that Adrian Newey is closing in on the retirement age in the UK. The aerodynamicist is already 65, and let’s face it, not everyone is like Fernando Alonso, who if given the chance will race into his 80s. If he were to leave Red Bull at the end of his current contract, he’ll become available at the end of 2025, and will then have to serve a year’s worth of gardening leave.

Hence it wouldn’t be before 2027 that he’s able to join another team. So, for Newey, who’s just a year away from retirement age, it might just make sense to retire at the top after winning consecutive titles with Red Bull. But the other two options are pretty luring. So, what will Adrian Newey choose to do? 

What will be the best option for Adrian Newey?

The Brit is still at the top of his game in terms of designing a car. So it wouldn’t make sense for Adrian Newey to retire just yet. He can very well showcase to the world that he can make any team a championship contender with just his pen and paper. So what is it going to be, Ferrari or Aston Martin?

For the most part of his F1 career, Newey has worked in the UK, be it with McLaren or Red Bull. Moving to Italy will be a big cultural shift for the 65-year-old. Aston Martin however has their factory just a couple miles away from the current Red Bull facilities in Milton Keynes. Ferrari has been trying for 2 decades to get Newey to come to Italy but has been unsuccessful. We think that wouldn’t change now as well. 

Plus the bonus of having a post F1 career with Aston Martin and the $100 million offer just looks too good to refuse. What do you think Adrian Newey’s future will be?