Christian Horner claims Red Bull knew “time” of Adrian Newey exit was coming

Adrian Newey is the most successful designer in the history of F1.

Christian Horner claims Red Bull knew “time” of Adrian Newey exit was coming

Christian Horner and Adrian Newey (via IMAGO)

The rumors of Adrian Newey pondering about leaving Red Bull had been boiling up in the paddock for quite some time. Subsequently, after the announcement was made of his exit, a shockwave trundled the paddock regarding the fall apart between the two in a rampant fashion. Recently, Christian Horner revealed that he had anticipated that this relationship was on the verge of collapsing, and he knew ahead of time that this would happen soon.

Adrian Newey has been with Red Bull since 2006. Moreover, this partnership was known for its high reliance on each other. However, this coalition soon broke apart after the team went through various controversies, which unsettled its environment. F1 experts lamented the unpeaceful environment for the Brit’s exit and claimed that it could have been prevented if the internal power struggles had been solved earlier. However, the team supremo Christian Horner claimed otherwise.

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We knew this time was coming. With the team, and the strength and the engineering depth that we have, [Newey has chosen now] to step away.
Christian Horner said in an interview with RacingNews365

The 50-year-old stated that he was already aware of his compatriot’s intentions to leave the team. He further revealed that during the start of the turbo-hybrid era in 2014, Newey was on the verge of quitting the team, so his departure had been in the pipeline for quite a time, and expected it to happen soon.

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Christian Horner claims things will remain under control at Red Bull even after Adrian Newey’s departure

F1 pundits have claimed that Red Bull’s aerodynamic lead would fade with the loss of its chief. Moreover, the situation seems spiraling downward for the Milton Keynes-based squad, as the power struggles could even push their star driver and consultant to move to Brackley.

Red Bull's Adrian Newey and Christian Horner
Adrian Newey and Christian Horner (Via: Imago)

However, the team principal is confident that the team would not pirouette downward and would handle the situation at hand without the design legend.

I think we're well positioned for the future with the technical team that we have. We always knew this day was coming, and it's something that from 2014, when Adrian came very close to leaving, that structure was assembled.
Christian Horner said in an interview with RacingNews365

The Englishman claimed that he does not need to worry about the lack of integrity within the team. Moreover, he had set a reliable aerodynamics and chassis structure within the team due to the scares of Newey leaving early, which would take over his operations and make the team unaffected by his loss.

Despite Horner’s claims, the situation is quite sensitive at the Austrian giant due to its recent loss. Thus, huge responsibility lay on the Brit’s shoulders to help his team stay at the top of the table even after Newey’s exit and to gain the trust of the hierarchy in Austria to stay at the helm of the team for longer.

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