McLaren CEO Zak Brown has predicted that Formula 1 design guru Adrian Newey’s impending departure from Red Bull will be the “first domino to fall” from the team.
Red Bull announced earlier this week that Newey will vacate his technical role in 2025 to bring the curtain down on a near two-decade spell that has delivered 13 titles.
The Briton’s exit has been linked with the apparent power struggle that has ensued at Red Bull since an investigation into Team Principal Christian Horner’s behaviour.
Brown said he is not surprised that Newey has opted to end his association with Red Bull and suspects the Briton leaving could trigger more to head for pastures new.
Asked whether he had been surprised when the news dropped, Brown said: “Am I surprised? Six months ago, I would have been surprised.
“I think, given everything that’s gone on since the start of the year and knowing Adrian pretty well, he’s a very high-integrity individual. I’m not surprised he’s moving on.
“I think the stuff that’s going on there is a bit destabilizing. It’s probably the first domino to fall. My guess is not the last based on the resumes that are flying around.
“As far as McLaren’s concerned, I’m very happy with all the work the men and women at McLaren are doing.
“I think we’ve started to show since last year, second half of last year, that they know how to put performance on the car.
“I’ve got all the faith in the world of the team that we have.
“We’re on a quest to get back to the front. I think we have the people, the talent, the equipment, the drivers to get there. We’re going to just stay the course.”
Brown has revealed that McLaren has received multiple enquiries from people seeking to leave Red Bull and believes that will continue amid Newey’s choice to egress.
Expanding on his previous comment, Brown added: “We’ve seen an increase in CVs coming in our way from the team and I think Adrian is the most successful designer of all time, so in addition to the technical that he brings to the racing team, people want to work for people like Adrian Newey and work alongside him.
“I think they’ll be missing what he brings to the team from a pure technical point of view and then I think the leadership and the excitement people get from working with him will be missed.”
While Brown failed to rule out Newey returning to McLaren, whom he worked for from 1997 to 2005, the American placed his faith in the team’s existing technical team.
“I mean as everyone said with a resume and a track record like Adrian Newey, Adrian’s going to add value to any racing team,” he admitted.
“But we’re very happy with the trajectory that we’re on. I never say never, but I’m very happy with the team, the technical leadership, the way Andrea’s running the racing team and we’ve got a plan and we’re going to keep that down and of course always look for opportunities to make additive additions to the racing team.”
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