Adrian Newey Will Be at the Miami GP as Red Bull Exit Negotiations Continue Following the Decision to Leave the World Champion

Adrian Newey is expected to be at the Miami Grand Prix this weekend as the timing of his exit from Red Bull remains under discussion following his decision to leave the team.

Newey has informed senior Red Bull staff of his desire to leave his position as chief technical officer, but feels no need to tender an official resignation as talks over his departure progress.

Although it is not certain whether Newey will remain with the team until his contract expires at the end of 2025, a sudden departure is not currently expected.

The 65-year-old has been with Red Bull since 2006 and led the design of the cars that have taken the team to all 13 world championship titles.

When reports emerged last week of Newey’s intention to leave, Red Bull denied he had resigned and appeared unwilling to accept that a hugely successful partnership was coming to an end.

However, now that it is clear that Newey’s decision has been made, the focus is now on agreeing an exit that suits both sides.

Newey is said to be particularly keen to avoid being the center of attention in a week that marks the 30th anniversary of Ayrton Senna’s death. Newey was chief designer at Williams when Senna had a fatal accident in the team’s car in 1994.

Newey has not yet had face-to-face talks with Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, although the pair are expected to travel to Miami together this week.

Several other F1 teams, most notably Ferrari and Aston Martin, have been linked with a move for Newey, but he is said to have told Red Bull that he has not signed an agreement to join any of their rivals.

Horner relationship a factor in Newey’s exit

In terms of results, Newey’s decision to leave the club seems strange considering he oversaw one of the most dominant periods in the sport’s history.

After edging out Lewis Hamilton to win his first drivers’ title in 2021, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen has dominated the last two seasons and is on track to make it a fourth consecutive year in 2024.

Red Bull won all but one race last season, while Verstappen’s victory in China in early April gave the Dutchman his 21st victory in the last 23 Formula One Grand Prix races.

However, Newey’s relationship with team boss Horner is said to have cooled.

Horner said in an interview with Autosport last year that Red Bull’s technical team was no longer dependent on Newey following changes to its structure.

Horner also drew a comparison to football, pointing out that Manchester United remained successful even after the departure of star player Eric Cantona, apparently suggesting that Red Bull could continue to win without Newey.

In January, Newey’s wife Amanda responded to a social media post that echoed Horner’s comments by writing, “What nonsense.”

Newey, who rarely gives interviews, has not commented on his relationship with Horner recently, but praised his colleagues when he spoke to them Sky Sports F1’s Ted Kravitz after the Japanese Grand Prix last April.

In addition to possible tensions between Horner and Newey, the team’s success has been marred by a period of ongoing turmoil after the Austrian parent company conducted an investigation into allegations of inappropriate behavior against Horner by a colleague earlier this year.

The complaint against Horner, who has always denied the claims, was dismissed on February 28. The woman who filed the complaint has since appealed the outcome.

After the allegations against Horner, there was an alleged power struggle at Red Bull, in which Horner came under great pressure after the father of its star driver, Jos Verstappen, asked the team boss to resign.

The series of events is believed to have further disillusioned Newey, who signed his last contract extension almost exactly a year ago.

Ferrari Newey’s most likely F1 destination

According to some reports, Newey’s contract contains a clause that would prevent him from joining another team for a year after his Red Bull contract expires, meaning he would not be able to work elsewhere until early 2027.

If he decided to stay in Formula 1, Newey would be wanted by every other team on the grid, but the most likely candidates to sign him would be title contenders Ferrari, Mercedes, McLaren and Aston Martin.

Of the four, Newey is said to be the most interested in a move to Ferrari, which could see him working alongside Lewis Hamilton, who is moving to the Italian team from Mercedes in 2025.

Aston Martin would be interested in signing Newey and team owner Lawrence Stroll would be willing to make a hugely lucrative offer, but the Silverstone-based outfit are not confident of completing a deal.

Mercedes, meanwhile, has struggled with Formula 1’s current design regulations since the start of the 2022 season and appears poorly placed to challenge for titles in the short to medium term.

Sky Sports F1’s live Miami GP schedule

Thursday, May 2nd
6.30 p.m.: Drivers’ press conference

Friday, May 3rd
3:00 p.m.: F1 Academy Training 1
5:00 p.m.: First Miami GP practice (session starts at 5:30 p.m.)
8:20 p.m.: F1 Academy Training 2
9:00 p.m.: Miami GP Sprint Qualifying (session starts at 9:30 p.m.)

Saturday, May 4th
3:25 p.m.: F1 Academy qualification
4:00 p.m.: Miami GP Sprint (race starts at 5:00 p.m.)
6:30 p.m.: Ted’s sprint notebook
7:05 p.m.: F1 Academy Race 1
8:00 p.m.: Miami GP qualifying preparation*
9:00 p.m.: Miami GP Qualifying*
11:00 p.m.: Ted’s Qualification Notebook*

Sunday, May 5th
6:05 p.m.: F1 Academy Race 2
7:30 p.m.: Preparation for the Grand Prix Sunday Miami GP*
9 p.m.: The MIAMI GRAND PRIX*
11 p.m.: Checkered flag: Miami GP reaction*
Midnight: Ted’s Notebook*

*also live on Sky Sports Main Event

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