MIAMI (UNITED STATES), May 4. (dpa/EP) –
The still technical director and chief engineer of the Red Bull Racing Formula 1 team, Adrian Newey, who will leave his position at the team in 2025, has admitted that he feels “flattered” that the British Lewis Hamilton has requested his signing for Ferrari .
Newey, considered the greatest Formula 1 technical brain of his generation, will be a free agent next year after Red Bull confirmed that the 65-year-old engineer will end his adventure with the team. Hamilton, who will race for Ferrari next season, said before this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix that he would like Newey to make the switch as well.
“It’s very kind of Lewis to say that, and I feel very flattered. But at the moment I just want to take a bit of a break and see what happens next,” the Briton told Sky Sports.
Newey, who has played a major role in 13 drivers’ World Championships and a dozen Constructors’ titles for the energy drink brand, is free to join another team when he leaves Red Bull in the first quarter of next year, possibly ahead of the inaugural race in Australia in March.
Newey’s departure from Red Bull comes after team principal Christian Horner was accused of “inappropriate behavior” by a female employee. Red Bull’s parent company GmbH exonerated him on the eve of last month’s Bahrain Grand Prix and has always denied the allegations.
Newey also assured that “Formula 1 consumes everything.” “I’ve been at this for a long time. There comes a time when, like Forrest Gump said, I feel a little tired. If I’m honest, I’ve been thinking about it for a while. I guess over the winter, and then as things have developed events this year. I am lucky to not have to work to live,” he explained.
“I work because I like it, and I thought it was a good time to step back, take a break, and take stock of my life. Maybe at some point, I don’t know when, I’ll be in the shower and say, ‘Okay, this It’s going to be the next adventure.’ But right now there is no plan,” he continued.
It remains to be seen what effect Newey’s departure from Red Bull will have on Dutch driver Max Verstappen, current three-time world champion. “At the moment, my future is within Red Bull,” Verstappen said on Thursday, with a contract until 2028.
On Friday, McLaren boss Zak Brown noted that “the things that are happening there are a bit destabilizing.” “It’s probably the first domino to fall. My guess is that – Newey’s departure – is not going to be the last, based on the resumes that are flying out there,” he noted.