Horner makes Ronaldo comparison as Newey gets set for switch from Red Bull to Aston Martin

Christian Horner has reiterated his belief that Red Bull have enough “strength and depth” in the squad to remain successful without Adrian Newey, the team boss having compared the situation to Manchester United continuing to win when Cristiano Ronaldo left the club.

It was confirmed back in May that Newey would depart the Milton Keynes outfit in the first quarter of 2025, bringing a nearly 20-year partnership to an end. And while much speculation ensued over what his next move would be, the announcement came in September that Newey will become Aston Martin’s Managing Technical Partner as of March 1.

READ MORE: Newey reveals why he’ll still be helping Red Bull with ‘passion project’ after his Aston Martin start date

During an interview with Sky Sports F1’s Ted Kravitz, Horner was quizzed on whether Newey’s decision to move to Aston – a team not currently in direct competition with Red Bull for the championship – was a best case scenario, given that the designer was also linked with some of the squad’s main rivals such as Ferrari.

“First and foremost, Adrian was with us for almost 20 years and we had some great times in that period,” said Horner. “He’s a friend, he’s godfather to my daughter. We achieved some great things in that period of time.

“During the last probably eight to nine years, he came very close to leaving in 2014, and from that moment onwards really we needed to ensure that, if he were to choose to depart, that we were in a position to pick up the mantle and the baton and run with it.

“Obviously he’s been involved in other projects during that period with [the Aston Martin] Valkyrie and now the RB17 [hypercar], so when he chose to go to Aston – for [reasons such as having] skin in the game, the shareholding, from what I understand the whole structure is essentially going to report into him – he still feels he has that motivation, and all we can do is wish him the very best of luck.

“We’ll look back with great fondness of the time that he was with us, but life carries on and we’ve got a great team.

READ MORE: Newey explains why he opted for 'old school' Aston Martin, rather than joining Hamilton in 2025 move to Ferrari

“We’ve got great strength and depth. Manchester United didn’t stop winning when Eric Cantona left – everything has to evolve, and I think we have that strength and depth to pick and carry on that baton.”

When Kravitz raised the point that Cantona retired after leaving the club rather than moving to another team, Horner added: “Alright, Cristiano Ronaldo! I’m not a football analogy specialist!”

Pushed further on the idea of Aston currently being less of a threat than some of Red Bull’s other rivals, Horner acknowledged that the outfit are now battling with a number of teams on the grid.

“If they [Aston] come up with a rocket ship and Lance Stroll wins the world championship in 2026, then you’ll say that it was the right thing!” the Team Principal joked.

READ MORE: From March to Red Bull – How long did it take Newey to make an impact at his previous F1 teams?

“But, look, all we can do is wish him the best of luck for the future. It’s a team with huge ambition – Lawrence Stroll’s a very motivated guy. But Aston aren’t the only competitor – Ferrari, Mercedes, McLaren, they’re all very strong teams, so we’re focused on ourselves.”

Red Bull are currently locked in a fight for the 2024 constructors’ title, with the outfit now 41 points behind leaders McLaren while Ferrari are only 34 points away in third place.