Red Bull guru Adrian Newey in hat for stunning team SWAP with McLaren

Adrian Newey

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Red Bull guru Newey in hat for stunning team SWAP with McLaren

Red Bull's chief technical officer and McLaren's CEO swap thinking caps over dinner

Tyler Foster

Tuesday 22 August 2023 20:57

In an unusual moment, Red Bull chief technical officer Adrian Newey swapped his usual colours in exchange for a McLaren hat while dining with the McLaren CEO Zak Brown.

For over 30 years, Newey has been the most sought-after engineer in Formula 1. He is responsible for designing some of the most successful machines in the sport’s history, and has helped deliver 11 constructors’ and 12 drivers’ championships throughout spells at Williams, McLaren and Red Bull.

Since 2006 however, it has been Red Bull who have had the privilege of calling Newey theirs. On more than one occasion members from rival teams have attempted to lure the engineering magician away from his role at Milton Keynes. Most recently, it was Mercedes who had their offer for Newey to defect “declined gratefully”.

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Nevertheless, it seems that McLaren’s CEO Zak Brown may have tried his hand at persuading Newey to return to the historic team. The pair were seen enjoying each other’s company during the Californian automotive festival known as Monterey Car Week.

On X (formerly known as Twitter), Brown posted a couple of photos of the two men sharing dinner alongside Ford CEO Jim Farley and nine-time Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen. In the post, Brown joked, “It’s a good fit, Adrian!”, highlighting Newey’s previous work with the team in the late 1990’s.

Great meal with some real legends to wrap up Monterey Car Week! CEO of Ford @JimFarley98, 9-time Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen and the man in the McLaren cap who knows a thing or two about car design. It’s a good fit, Adrian! 😉 He was very thoughtful to get me a cap in return!… pic.twitter.com/PkcqbLOHrt
— Zak Brown (@ZBrownCEO) August 20, 2023

Sharing more than just hats

{inlineimage[https://sportsbase.io/images/gpfans/copy_620x348/77f41c79aeff5bd80e3bf7315a5344a41ee81a76.jpg][Newey recently signed a new contract with Red Bull][2]}

Sharing more than just hats

Newey recently signed a new contract with Red Bull

While Brown would dream of having the talented mind of Newey's in orange, the 64-year-old will remain a part of the Red Bull fold for the foreseeable future after singing a new contract with the team earlier this season. Despite this, Newey may have got the last laugh, as the second image shows Brown brandishing a Red Bull hat of his own as part of their exchange.

Given McLaren’s recent performances, the two teams may find themselves battling it out on-track more often as F1 returns from its summer break.