Despite a flurry of recent rumors, Red Bull chief technology officer Adrian Newey will remain in his active role at the helm of the championship winning’s outfit’s engineering department.
While Newey's role has evolved beyond solely focusing on F1, with his CTO responsibilities encompassing other projects, he hasn't taken a backseat in the championship chase.
The legendary Formula 1 designer’s close collaboration with Red Bull technical director Pierre Wache yielded last year’s dominant RB19 – labeled as the most successful car in Grand Prix racing history – and all signs point to the outfit’s RB20 following in the path of its predecessor.
Newey was present at F1’s season-opening races in Bahrain and Jeddah, but the Briton’s scheduled absence from next week’s Australian Grand Prix sparked speculation of a reduced role.
Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport reported that Newey was unhappy about a proposal from Red Bull team principal Christian Horner to redirect him to the Milton Keynes-based outfit’s special RB17 hypercar project which the design set to go into production in 2025.
It was suggested that moving Newey to the RB17 project would help Red Bull comply with future budget cap restrictions, while also shielding the designer from the team’s current inner political turmoil caused by what many see as a power struggle between Horner and a faction comprised of Helmut Marko and the Verstappen family.
However, sources have firmly shut down the wild rumors according to a report from Motorsport.com.
Newey's role with Red Bull Racing remains unchanged, and he will be back on the pit wall as planned for the Japanese Grand Prix.
Newey's future in Formula 1 has been a topic of speculation for years, and the news last month of Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari for 2025 revived the prospect of him finally being lured away to join the Scuderia.
However, despite the whispers, Newey reportedly remains "as motivated as ever" to contribute to the team's championship fight.
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