'F***ing silent assassin': Horner reveals MASTERMIND behind Newey exit

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'F***ing silent assassin': Horner reveals MASTERMIND behind Newey exit

Christian Horner has revealed who was behind Adrian Newey's Red Bull exit

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Monday 20 May 2024 18:57 Updated: 11:36

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Christian Horner has revealed the mastermind behind Adrian Newey’s exit from Red Bull, labelling them as a ‘silent assassin’.

The Austrian team announced the departure of their chief technical officer ahead of the Miami Grand Prix, despite Newey being contracted until the end of 2025.

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After negotiating an early release from his contract, Newey will leave the world champions at the start of next year, and is free to join a rival team.

His next role is tipped to be at Ferrari, with sources suggesting he has already signed a contract to team up with Lewis Hamilton.

Adrian Newey has enjoyed major career success at Red Bull

Adrian Newey is hotly tipped to join Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari

Why did Newey leave Red Bull?

Despite their success on track, it has been an unsettling few months at Red Bull, with team principal Horner embroiled in an ongoing controversy.

It is unclear why Newey has departed from Red Bull, but the engineer seems to be seeking a new F1 venture following an interview with his manager Eddie Jordan.

Many were shocked by the news that the former team boss was now managing Newey, with Horner labelling Jordan as the mastermind behind his exit from the team.

“Christian, do you know what he called me – do you know what he called me when he found this,” Jordan said to David Coulthard on their Formula For Success podcast.

“First of all, his jaw was somewhere around near the end of his trousers. It’s quite a big jaw in the first place. But he called me ‘Ah, EJ, you’re a f****** silent assassin.

“I don’t know what a silent assassin is. Maybe you could tell us, DC, what is that?”

Former team boss Eddie Jordan was recently revealed as Newey's manager

In reply, Coulthard referenced everyone’s shock at Jordan being Newey’s manager, and elaborated on what Horner could have meant.

“You’d rather be a silent assassin than somebody hearing you coming. No-one saw that coming at all. Nobody knew you were managing Adrian,” Coulthard replied.