Adrian Newey is reportedly ready to call it quits at Red Bull. As per Auto Motor und Sport, the German publication that broke the news, it is only a matter of time before the official announcement arrives. If the reports do turn out to be true, Newey might be in for a big financial loss.
As per Jeppe H. Olesen on X (formerly Twitter), Adrian Newey has a hefty payout from Red Bull coming his way in 2026. Assuming the 65-year-old sticks around to get the paycheck and then decides to leave, he will have to serve a year’s gardening leave.
After that, he will be at liberty to join a team in 2028, working on the car that competes in F1 in 2029. By that time, the Briton will turn 70. A ‘gardening leave’ clause is a common occurrence in Formula 1 contracts.
Engineers often have grace periods in their contracts that prevent them from joining another team after leaving their current team. This prevents team secrets from being leaked to rivals after an engineer decides to leave the team.
Considering Adrian Newey has a one-year cooling off period before moving to another team, it might not be worth waiting for the payout. This wait will not only keep him out of F1 for a year, but will also put him at a disadvantage for his next team. But a lot will depend on how much Newey makes with the salary he receives in 2026.
Will the rivals be able to make up for the loss they will suffer with Adrian Newey joining them?
Aston Martin and Ferrari are the biggest candidates to sign Adrian Newey to the team. Lawrence Stroll has made it clear he will do whatever it takes to land Red Bull’s CTO, but Ferrari will also leave no stone unturned.
Given both teams’ insistence on signing the British player, it would be no surprise if Newey were compensated for the losses he would incur by leaving Red Bull. Ferrari offered Lewis Hamilton everything that Mercedes could not.
This included offering the seven-time champion a long-term contract, an ambassador role, and much higher compensation. There is no reason why the Maranello team cannot take the same approach when signing Adrian Newey.
All this, however, remains conjecture until a confirmation from either Newey or Red Bull arrives. As of now, the Austrian team is defiant and has rubbished the claims of an exit of their CTO. Red Bull claims they have received no official communication from Newey, confirming his intention to sever ties.