02/05/2023
NEWS STORY
It is claimed that Adrian Newey has agreed to extend his current contract with Red Bull.
Although not confirmed, the claim comes at a time Ferrari is rumoured to have been headhunting members of the Austrian team as it deals with its own 'defections'.
Speaking last month, before the Ferrari rumours intensified, Christian Horner dismissed the suggestion that the legendary design guru might be tempted to prove himself elsewhere, despite already designing championship winning cars for Red Bull, McLaren and Williams.
"His heart is still very much in Formula 1," he told 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 added. "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."
Only on Friday, James Allison, now back at the helm as technical director at Mercedes, paid tribute to Newey when asked about the recent technical reshuffle at the German team and whether his influence might not be felt until next year's W15.
"You don't have one person's hand on a car, it's just not how it works at all," he said, in after being asked if upgrades for the W14 will have been the work of Mike Elliot. "Each person puts their shoulder to the wheel, and if the whole place is well set-up and well organised, that wheel turns more and more effectively.
"Even the great Adrian Newey would probably tell you that if you pinned him down hard enough," he added. "It is a very big team effort."
In the final year of his current contract, Newey, who joined Red Bull in 2006, Newey has been given 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.
As chief technical officer at Red Bull, he oversees not only the F1 team, but its Advanced Technology business and Powertrains division.