“That sets him apart” - Fresh insight into Adrian Newey and what Red Bull will miss

Martin Brundle has shed light on the crucial impact Adrian Newey can have on an F1 team - and what Red Bull will likely miss from 2025.

Ahead of last weekend’s Miami Grand Prix, Red Bull announced Newey’s departure from Red Bull.

Newey will step down from the team officially in the first quarter of 2025, leaving him free to join a rival F1 team.

The 65-year-old has been instrumental in Red Bull’s success over the last two decades, winning four straight titles with Sebastian Vettel in the early 2010s.

It’s a similar story now with Max Verstappen on course to clinch his fourth consecutive crown in 2024.

Brundle believes Newey’s influence will be missed dearly, particularly when making crucial tweaks during the design process when bringing concepts together.

“I am sure Max and his management team would have been informed all the way through,” he said. “Red Bull say that Adrian nearly stopped last year and it’s been on the cards for a while so they’re well structured for the chassis, the aero, the power train, going into the future.

“They’re absolutely sorted going forward but losing a genius like Adrian is never good news. I am sure any design process, Adrian would just knock a few things in along the way, have a brilliant idea or two at least.

“The other things I think Adrian would be extremely good at is if he wants something moved on the power train because a pump or the exhaust or whatever, because he needs it for the aero, he will dig in and fight hard. It’s that sort of thing that sets him apart.”

Newey’s future within F1 is still unclear.

The design guru has been heavily linked with Ferrari, while Aston Martin and Williams have strong interest.

2009 F1 world champion Jenson Button remains hopeful Newey decides to remain in F1.

Speaking about Newey’s future, Button said: “Exactly what he said, doing nothing initially. He needs to regroup and think about where he is in his life. He’s been in this sport for such a long period of time, achieved so much. At some point you want to look at doing other things in life.

“This is the right time for him. Whether he will come back or not, we don’t know. It will be sad if he doesn’t come back because he’s a big part of the sport and he’s had such a big impact on F1. I also just love seeing him about. He’s a great human and a person in the paddock.”