Adrian Newey is reportedly ready to call it quits at Red Bull. As per Auto Motor und Sport, the German publication that broke the news, it is only a matter of time before the official announcement arrives. If the reports do turn out to be true, Newey might be in for a big financial loss.
As per Jeppe H. Olesen on X (formerly Twitter), Adrian Newey has a hefty payout from Red Bull coming his way in 2026. Assuming the 65-year-old sticks around to get the paycheck and then decides to leave, he will have to serve a year’s gardening leave.
After that, he will be at liberty to join a team in 2028, working on the car that competes in F1 in 2029. By that time, the Briton will turn 70. A ‘gardening leave’ clause is a common occurrence in Formula 1 contracts.
Engineers often have a cooling-off period in their contracts that prevents them from joining another team after leaving the incumbent one. This safeguards the teams from having their secrets reach rivals after an engineer decides to leave their side.
Given that Adrian Newey has one year’s cooling-off period before joining another team, waiting for the payout might not be worth it. Not only will the wait place him away from F1 for a year, but will also put his next team at a disadvantage. However, a lot depends on how much Newey will earn via the paycheck he will receive in 2026.
Can rivals recuperate the loss Adrian Newey will face for joining them?
Aston Martin and Ferrari are the biggest contenders to sign Adrian Newey on their team. While Lawrence Stroll has made it clear that he will do whatever is needed to get the Red Bull CTO, Ferrari will leave no stone unturned either.
Given the extent both teams are willing to go to for the Briton’s signature, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them reimburse Newey for the loss he will face by leaving Red Bull. Ferrari, in their pursuit of getting Lewis Hamilton, offered him everything Mercedes could not.
Those included offering the seven-time champion a long-term contract, an ambassadorial role, and much higher pay. There is no reason why the Maranello outfit cannot follow the same approach in landing Adrian Newey.
All this, however, remains conjecture until a confirmation from either Newey or Red Bull arrives. As of now, the Austrian team is defiant and has rubbished the claims of an exit of their CTO. Red Bull claims they have received no official communication from Newey, confirming his intention to sever ties.
