F1 legend Adrian Newey makes Red Bull 'maturity' claim in team EXIT statement

adrian newey at Red Bull — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 News & Gossip

Newey makes Red Bull 'maturity' claim in team EXIT statement

Adrian Newey will join Aston Martin in March

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Tuesday 7 January 2025 09:59 Updated: 12:24

Adrian Newey has admitted that a Red Bull ‘maturity’ matter solidified his exit from the Formula 1 team last year.

The design legend’s move for 2025 became the biggest non-driver signing of last year’s silly season, with Newey’s contribution to various champions making his skills invaluable for teams to acquire.

F1 HEADLINES: Newey delivers EXIT statement as Aston Martin issue 2025 announcement

Article continues under video

Following Lewis Hamilton’s switch to Ferrari, the Scuderia appeared the most likely candidate to secure Newey’s signature, but this eventuality did not materialise.

Newey instead finally announced he would be joining Aston Martin, and will debut with the team in March as their managing technical partner in a lucrative deal.

Adrian Newey's signing was the most anticipated of last year's silly season

Adrian Newey joins Aston Martin in March

Newey discusses Red Bull exit

Newey’s initial exit from Red Bull sent shockwaves throughout the paddock, particularly after a difficult start to the season where the team were rocked by internal instability.

Discussing the reasons for his move back in 2024, the 66-year-old revealed that a ‘mature’ Red Bull engineering team left him feeling like he needed a new challenge with a less established team.

Since joining Red Bull, Newey has helped the team secure six constructors’ titles, and eight drivers' championships with Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen, with the design legend now facing a fresh battle at Aston Martin.

"I find there comes a point where I feel as if I need new challenges, the team’s reached a good level of maturity, it’s a very mature engineering organisation as well as the rest of the team so in a way I’ve kind of done my bit," Newey said on the High Performance Podcast.

"I started to feel as if we’re getting a little bit stale, I think the guys also felt as though perhaps they needed to show that they could do it on their own so I thought well ok let’s give them the chance and give myself a new challenge."

Red Bull Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Formula 1 Aston Martin Adrian Newey