Adrian Newey (65) wants to leave Red Bull Racing, but the F1 top designer is encountering some contractual barriers. Newey still has an agreement with the Austrian racing team until the 2025 season and Red Bull can also delay the possible switch to a competing team even further. Newey and Red Bull must therefore sit down to discuss how to proceed.
Yesterday we wrote in an article that Newey plans to give up his position at Red Bull Racing, because he no longer feels comfortable with the tense situation in the team. There is an investigation into team boss Christian Horner for inappropriate behavior and there is also a tug-of-war behind the scenes over who will gain control. It has been suggested for some time that this could lead to an early departure for Newey and everything indicates that this is indeed about to happen. Newey wants to leave, several prominent sources have now reported. But is that possible? After all, the engineer still has a contract with Red Bull until mid-2025 and the Austrians will be anything but eager to let Newey leave for a competitor. And what about the so-called gardening leave?
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Contractual restrictions for Newey at Red Bull
The situation surrounding Newey is complex, especially when it comes to his contractual agreements. The Brit is one of the greatest engineers on the grid and that is why Red Bull has sealed his contract. As they already announced in their statement yesterday – on the reports about Newey – the top designer will still be in Milton Keynes until mid-2025. So, theoretically, Newey isn’t going anywhere. But do you want to keep a dissatisfied employee on board at all costs, with the risk of further increasing tensions within the team? Probably not. But letting Newey go is one thing, seeing him move to the competition is another. And the latter is something Red Bull will want to stop at all costs. And it also has possibilities for that Motorsport heard.
READ MORE: The Internet reacts to possible Newey departure: “Hamilton and he have the same dream”
Gardening leave thorn in the side of Ferrari and Aston Martin
Red Bull has several sticks to hit with, it seems. The first is – as mentioned earlier – the contract duration. Newey is simply committed until mid-2025. In addition, Red Bull has included a clause known in the paddock as gardening leave, which simply means that you are released from work, but are not allowed to work elsewhere for a certain period of time. This clause, which Red Bull can rely on, has a period of no less than 12 months. This means that in theory Newey would not be available for rival teams until early 2027.
Newey can only influence the rival team from 2028
And if Newey starts working for a competitor in 2027, for example Aston Martin or Ferrari, his contribution will focus on the car of the following season: 2028. By then we will be well into the next regulations [die vanaf 2026 hun intrede doen] and so Newey will no longer be able to make enormous leaps. Finally, the designer will be almost 70 years old by then and the question remains whether he would rather enjoy his retirement.
READ MORE: ‘Aston Martin puts a big bag of money at the door of Adrian Newey: “That happened”‘
Newey in stranglehold at Red Bull Racing
Newey has a stranglehold at Red Bull, it seems. The Austrian racing team may let him out of his contract early, but under what conditions? A quick switch to, for example, Aston Martin or Ferrari will not be desirable for Red Bull. Another possible scenario is, reports say Motorsportis that Newey will leave Red Bull, but will not work for a competitor. He could then work outside Formula 1 or opt for an early retirement.
