‘A huge loss for Red Bull’ – Team bosses give their take on Newey’s exit and whether they hope to sign the designer

Several F1 team bosses have shared their thoughts on the news that Adrian Newey will leave Red Bull in the early stages of 2025, with many suggesting that any team in the paddock would be “foolish” not to open discussions with the designer amid continued speculation about his future.

It was announced ahead of the Miami Grand Prix that Newey is set to part ways with the world champions nearly 20 years after joining the outfit. While his next steps have not yet been revealed, the 65-year-old stated that he felt it was an “opportune moment to hand that baton over to others and to seek new challenges for myself.”

READ MORE: Newey opens up on when he first thought about leaving Red Bull as he admits to feeling ‘a little bit tired’

In his time with Red Bull, cars designed by Newey have earned the squad six constructors’ titles and seven drivers’ championships. Asked about the impact that the Chief Technical Officer’s exit could have on the team, McLaren CEO Zak Brown suggested that it will be strongly felt.

“We've seen an increase in CVs coming our way from the team, and I think Adrian is the most successful designer of all time,” said Brown. “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.

“So I think they will 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.”

James Vowles, Team Principal at Williams, took a similar view, adding: “He's an incredible character that has huge accolades behind him in the sport, well known for being the best designer really in his field. And that will have an impact, there's no doubt about it.

“How much he was involved in Red Bull or not, I couldn't say. We're not buried within there. But what I can say is it will have an impact. Of course it will, someone of his character and his strength.”

READ MORE: Horner concedes Red Bull will be ‘very sad’ to see Newey leave as he hints at what star designer will do next

And while RB’s Laurent Mekies confirmed that Newey’s departure will not have an impact on the Red Bull sister outfit, he acknowledged that the Briton’s decision to leave will be felt by the main squad.

“For sure it's a huge loss for Red Bull Racing,” he reflected. “It is not affecting our project, obviously, that part of the car being completely independent. But I think it will be a loss for any team losing somebody of the calibre of Adrian. I think the guys have said everything, the records speak for themselves. So, for sure, it's not going to be unnoticed.”

With Newey holding a revered reputation in the sport after designing numerous championship-winning cars over the years – not only for Red Bull in recent times, but also for Williams and McLaren in earlier eras – there has been much talk over where his next destination could be.

In terms of whether he would be interested in signing Newey, Brown suggested that he is satisfied with the technical team currently in place at McLaren.

“As far as McLaren's concerned, I'm very happy with all the work the men and women at McLaren are doing,” he explained. “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.

“So I've got all the faith in the world with the team that we have. We're on a quest to get back to the front, and I think we have the people, the talent, the equipment, the drivers to get there, so we're going to just stay the course.”

ANALYSIS: Adrian Newey's Red Bull exit is confirmed – what next for the star designer?

Other teams, however, have already been linked to Newey. This includes Williams, and Vowles has said that he shared a “light conversation” with the designer, “saying it can't have been an easy decision and fundamentally wanting just to have an additional chat about things.”

However, he believes that the small squad could potentially be a good fit for Newey, stating: “From a Williams perspective, obviously, that's where Adrian really cut his teeth for the first time. And I think we're a team without politics.

"It's a small team that's trying to make our way back to the front, and I think it could fit very perfectly for someone that wants to potentially dig into a challenge like that.

“More than that, what is great about Williams is that it has retained the family feel to it. We're not driven by an OEM. We're driven by just a group of individuals that want to be there, and it's all about really racing and hopefully some of that plays to his strengths.

“Then finally with Adrian, you have someone with his accolades, with his touch. There's not a team he hasn't been to – and that includes McLaren, ourselves, Red Bull – where he hasn't made a significant difference. And I think anyone here would be foolish not to at least open some conversation with him at that stage.”

Aston Martin are another name touted to have an interest in Newey, though Team Principal Mike Krack has appeared to play down the speculation.

“I think the record and the history [of Newey] speaks for itself,” he commented. “If someone like that is leaving a team, it's always causing the turmoil that it is creating. I think we speak about nothing else about the last two weeks in the media, which is good, because we speak about Formula 1.

READ MORE: Verstappen reveals what he said to Newey before confirmation of star designer’s Red Bull exit

“But then, I already confirmed a couple of weeks ago. I think it was a clear answer, but nobody really took it seriously. So, we are quite happy with our technical team and we continue with them.”

And with Ferrari also in the frame, Mekies – who was previously Sporting Director at the Scuderia before moving to RB – was asked whether there was ever a discussion about Newey joining the Italian outfit during his time there.

“I think everyone was honest enough to say that every team had or has Adrian on his list,” Mekies conceded. “So, of course, I think all of us have been discussing with him and I'm sure even more right now that now the possibility becomes a bit more concrete.”