Adrian Newey reveals why he ditched McLaren for Red Bull 20 years ago
Adrian Newey joined the Red Bull Formula 1 team in 2006 after a nine-year stint with McLaren.
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Adrian Newey, via IMAGO
Adrian Newey will be leaving Red Bull at the end of this year. The design wizard has spent almost two decades working at Milton Keynes and is eager to start a new chapter in his life. However, he recently reminisced about his switch from McLaren to the Austrian giant and revealed the true reason behind this move.
Red Bull joined the F1 grid in 2005 after buying out the failing Jaguar outfit. The team’s supremo, Christian Horner, had high ambitions, and to achieve such dreams he hired multiple experienced personnel to help them catapult higher in the pecking order. One such hiring was of legendary designer Adrian Newey who joined the Milton Keynes-based squad after a fairly successful stint at McLaren.
On the contrary, the Woking-based outfit was a front-runner, and moving to a backmarker like Red Bull could have been a risky move. Moreover, moving to Red Bull was not an easy move as Newey revealed.
When I was at McLaren before Red Bull we had a good little car in 2005, we won 10 races, but I just felt a bit stale at McLaren. I felt like I needed a new challenge. So I started looking around and David Coulthard was driving for Red Bull in 2005, the first season. And he said, look, Adrian, I think this is a great team. You should think about it.Adrian Newey said on the Talking Bull podcast
The 65-year-old further added.
And at the same time, Christian made a habit of just happening to be walking the opposite way down the paddock and bumping into me, so we started talking. I thought, well, it's a big challenge. It's a huge career risk, but one I feel up for. And so when I started [working in Red Bull], it was with the aspiration and hope that at some point we could win a race.Adrian Newey said
The Brit recalled how David Coulthard played an important role in his switch as the Scottish racer had been a former driver at McLaren. Furthermore, Newey’s foot tripped over with Horner while walking around the paddock which continued their talks regarding a switch. Regardless of the risky nature of the move, the Englishman was sure about his decision and went on to create history with Red Bull.
Damon Hill reveals how F1 has been a tiring job for Adrian Newey
Adrian Newey has been soaring the headlines recently as he is understood to have signed for Aston Martin. However, the design genius has been a part of the paddock for more than three decades, raising questions regarding his longevity within the paddock.
Subsequently, Damon Hill reckoned that Newey has probably got a further 10 more years in the sport.
It's a huge job and maybe he's got another 10 years in him doing this. I don't know, but as he said himself, he's a bit knackered. He said, 'I'm a bit tired'. It is stressful because he's competitive. So he will put pressure on himself. And after a bit, you can only do that for so long.Damon Hill said on the F1 Nation podcast
The former champion admitted that Newey has a tough job and claimed that his fellow compatriot was a bit knackered from working for decades. Moreover, he further stated that the latter could go on for so long before he feels exhausted.
Despite such concerns, Newey would be eager to possibly take up one last challenge before bidding adieu. Thus, teams would be scrounging to poach him in spite of him being allegedly signed by Aston Martin.
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Geetansh Pasricha
(772 Articles Published)