Adrian Newey makes iconic F1 team switch

Adrian Newey

Adrian Newey makes iconic F1 team switch

Newey has switched his allegiances to iconic motorsport name in Monaco

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Saturday 11 May 2024 09:58 Updated: 17:57

Adrian Newey has switched to an iconic F1 team amid his eventual departure from Red Bull in an ultimate throwback move.

Red Bull announced their key engineer was leaving the team ahead of the Miami Grand Prix, and is expected to depart in early 2025.

Following the announcement there has been debate surrounding where Newey will end up next.

He has been tipped to join Ferrari especially since Lewis Hamilton expressed his desire to see him move to the team.

Newey has been at Red Bull for nearly two decades

Could Newey join Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari?

What will Newey do next?

Article continues under video

Alternatively, Christian Horner has suggested that Newey may depart from Formula 1 altogether to spend time with his family after spending decades in the sport.

Newey, however, made a surprising switch to an iconic F1 team.

The engineer was seen driving in the Lotus 49B, as part of the Monaco Historique weekend.

The Monaco Historique showcases classic F1 cars in a series of races held at the street circuit, two weeks prior to the main F1 event.

McLaren CEO Zak Brown will also take part, competing against Newey in his Williams FW07B- Alan Jones’ 1980 title winning car.

Newey’s Lotus 49B was designed by the legendary Colin Chapman, and won the 1968 and 1970 drivers' and constructors' world title.

[Serie D]

Adrian Newey is currently running at the wheel of Lotus 49B with N°3 ⚡️

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Adrian Newey est actuellement en piste au volant d'une Lotus 49B avec le N°3 ⚡️#GrandPrixMonacoHistorique #MonacoCircuit pic.twitter.com/IGUNc4cLvC
— Automobile Club de Monaco (@ACM_Media) May 10, 2024

Lotus was founded by Chapman in 1952 who not only designed championship winning cars, but worked with legends of the era including Jim Clark, Jochen Rindt and Graham Hill.

Chapman produced many engineering marvels during his career such as the monocoque chassis with the Lotus 1962 Lotus 25.

The Lotus 49B was another of his innovations, and one of the first cars to feature the engine as a stressed member of the chassis.

It is no wonder Newey has chosen such a remarkable example of engineering history to race in at the weekend.

Red Bull Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Christian Horner Adrian Newey Miami Grand Prix