Red Bull Formula 1 boss Christian Horner has been no stranger to responding to rumours that Adrian Newey is considering leaving his post as Chief Technical Officer.
Newey has been aligned with Red Bull since the Austrian outfit’s inception in 2006 and has since designed cars that have won seven Drivers and six Constructors’ titles.
But despite Newey’s latest creation, the RB20, having won all but one of the first five races this term, the famed designer, 65, has been linked with a surprise departure.
The circumstances around Newey’s alleged intent to vacate his role are reported to be intertwined with the inappropriate behaviour allegations levelled against Horner.
While Horner was cleared from those accusations, it is speculated that Newey has become unsettled with the headlines on Red Bull not being centred on its success.
This is not the first time Newey has been touted to exit Red Bull, with the Briton having revealed he’s turned down approaches from Ferrari on at least three occasions.
Speaking in 2022 – prior to Newey renewing his deal through 2025 – Horner explained how Red Bull had adapted its technical team to deal with his increased absence.
“It’s something that obviously we’ve looked at and discussed this period of time,” Horner told Speedcafe.
“And Adrian’s role as Chief Technical Officer has evolved with Advanced Technologies now, and the RB17 [Hypercar] that we announced earlier in the year.
“He splits his time across various projects, and that’s forced the other guys to step up.
“There’s Pierre Wache as Technical Director, and the technical team, and they’ve done a fantastic job.
“Obviously, Adrian feeds into that and works closely with that group.
“He’s got this encyclopedia of knowledge, but it’s great to see the strength and depth that we have technically and the way that they’ve delivered.”
Red Bull has since responded to the growing reports with a statement that addressed it was “unaware” that Newey could be considering a proposal from a rival team.
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