ADRIAN NEWEY LEFT ‘SHOCKED AND SURPRISED’ OVER RED BULL EXIT REACTION

Adrian Newey was not sure how to process the reaction to his shock Red Bull exit, the legendary Formula 1 designer saying he has always been “very happy” to go “under the radar”.

It was confirmed in the lead up to the Miami Grand Prix that Newey’s involvement with the Red Bull Formula 1 team has come to an end, as he prepares to say goodbye to the company entirely after the first quarter of 2025.

‘Shock and surprise’ for Adrian Newey over F1 recognition

With 25 titles won in cars designed under Newey’s watch, the 65-year-old has cemented his legacy as one of the best to ever do it, a fact which has not been missed in the outpouring of recognition and respect since the news was announced.

Debate has been sparked over Red Bull’s ability to maintain their F1 stranglehold without Newey’s presence, while a host of teams such as Ferrari, Aston Martin and Newey’s former teams McLaren and Williams are being linked with moves to draw him back into the sport, Newey admitting to being a little taken aback by it all.

Asked by Sky F1 for his response to the ‘universal recognition for your great achievements in the sport’ Newey replied: “Surprised, to be honest.

“I mean, I’ve been doing the job I’ve always wanted to since I was a kid. That’s my passion.

“And I enjoy working with the drivers, the engineers in the team, all the other mechanics at the factory, etc. That’s what gets me up and motivates me.

“The kind of other side of it is something [which] I guess comes as part of the package, but not something I ever think about. So it has been a bit of a shock and a surprise almost.”

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When asked to clarify his “other stuff” comment and whether that served as an unwelcome distraction, Newey said it was rather a case of statistics not mattering to him, making it a “surprise” when they were so widely brought up as he is comfortable with continuing to fly “under the radar”.

“No, not an unwelcome distraction,” Newey clarified, “just something that… I don’t know how to put it.

“It’s probably surprise more than anything because I never think about that, so statistics and all that isn’t something that drives me, it’s what I do and I just kind of normally end up under the radar and I’m very happy with that.”

Red Bull already look likely to score two further title triumphs in F1 2024, with Max Verstappen atop the Drivers’ Championship and Red Bull leading the Constructors’.

2024-05-12T07:57:33Z dg43tfdfdgfd