The departure of Adrian Newey from Red Bull has alarmed Max Verstappen's father, following the official confirmation of Newey's upcoming exit.
Newey, the most celebrated, highly-paid and influential technical leader in Formula 1 will depart the top team, which has faced significant internal challenges and scandals in 2024. Newey will be leaving nearly a year earlier than his contract's expiration, "in the first quarter of 2025."
"I feel now is an opportune moment to hand that baton over to others and to seek new challenges for myself," Newey stated in an official release.
Eddie Jordan, a former F1 team owner and credited by Newey as his manager, suggested in a podcast that Newey might step back from F1. However, there are strong indications that Newey might move to Ferrari alongside Lewis Hamilton. Other potential destinations whispered include Aston Martin and Mercedes.
It has been reported that despite his impending departure, Newey will still make appearances at select Grand Prix events in 2024. Amidst speculation that Verstappen might be unsettled by this news and also seek an exit, his father and co-manager, Jos, expressed his concerns on Wednesday: "This is what I was afraid of."
"It is important that key personnel remain on board," Jos Verstappen disclosed to De Telegraaf. "This is not the case now. Newey is leaving - at the beginning of the year it seemed that Helmut (Marko) would be fired."
"It's not good for the future of the team."
According to Auto Motor und Sport, Newey has managed to avoid a prolonged 'gardening leave' should he join another team. "This means that he can throw himself straight into developing a car for the new 2026 regulations," claimed the German publication.
While Newey is set to leave, Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that Pierre Wache, Red Bull's technical director, will not be following Newey's exit.
Additionally, De Telegraaf has announced that Newey will be present in Miami this weekend. Though no longer part of Red Bull's F1 team operations, he will engage in promotional activities for the RB17 hypercar project that he will continue to oversee.
