17/04/2023
NEWS STORY
Christian Horner dismisses speculation over Adrian Newey's future at Red Bull, insisting the design-guru is there for "many years to come".
If playing Fantasy F1, while most would be looking to acquire the best driver or engine, a wise player would ensure that they had the best designer on board, and in the eyes of most that can only mean one man, Adrian Newey, winner of countless titles with McLaren, Williams and Red Bull.
He still remains hot property - indeed Mercedes is likely to copy his concept for the RB19 having admitted failure with its own - and consequently is linked with all manner of rivals.
In the wake of recent claims that he might be tempted away from Red Bull, his current contract seemingly up for renewal, Christian Horner insists that Newey isn't going anywhere.
"His heart is still very much in Formula 1," he tells Sky Sports, "and his commitment to the team is, it's not something... we don't talk about contracts or longevity of contracts, but he'll be here for many years to come.
"There's always going to be rumours in this paddock, that's Formula 1," he adds. "He's such an important part of our team and popular part of our team. It's great to have him with us for the long term, but also to be involved in some of the things we're now getting involved in."
Indeed, the Austrian team has given Newey the freedom to work on various projects away from F1 including the Valkyrie hypercar designed by Red Bull and Aston Martin and the company's America's Cup entry.
Horner was also keen to play down speculation over the future of Max Verstappen, who is rumoured to be contemplating retiring when his current contract ends in 2028.
"Max is his own man and he's very, very strong in his opinions and on his outlook on what he wants to do in his life," says Horner. "And I don't see him being a Fernando Alonso and still racing at 41 or 42 years of age, or maybe not in Formula 1, but what his love and passion is, is racing.
"If he's not racing on track at the moment, he's racing in the virtual world, he's driving GT cars for fun, and his passion is just driving and racing, and while that burns within him, he's going to keep going.
"But how long that burns for, that's each individual's own journey, they've got to find that out for themselves."