Christian Horner shares timeline of Adrian Newey's exit from Red Bull 

Red Bull boss Christian Horner has revealed that Adrian Newey's exit from the team was a long time coming as there was a discussion already 12 months back. Newey's departure from the team has come as a surprise for many. He joined them in 2006 and has since been an integral part.

His departure has been attributed by a few publications to Christian Horner's interview last season, where he credited the team's success to the entire design unit. Others have claimed that a breakdown in the relationship happened due to the political turmoil that Red Bull had been going through early in the year.

Talking to the media, Christian Horner revealed that the discussion with Adrian Newey about his future first took place 12 months back. As quoted by Motorsport, Horner said:

“Absolutely not. This has been coming for some time. There was discussion 12 months ago that it might have been the time for Adrian to look at stepping back. I know it’s been on his mind for some time. It’s been something we’ve had to plan for. And what better time to go with the run of form we’ve had over the last couple of seasons with the way the team is performing."

The Brit added:

"He’s stepping aside, not leaving the company, from F1, while we’re right at the top of our game. It will be very sad to see him go. He’s been an immense part of our team. It will be with sadness that we will see him depart. Also, like everything, the show goes on."

---

"Adrian Newey feels now is the right time to step away" - Christian Horner

Talking about Adrian Newey, Horner touched on his colleague's impressive career. Newey has been part of F1 since the 1980s. He enjoyed success with Williams, with whom he won titles, and had Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, and Damon Hill behind the wheel.

He even succeeded with McLaren, winning the title in 1998 and 1999 with Mika Hakkinen. Considering how long Adrian Newey's career has been, Horner shared that the designer felt he needed a break from everything.

"Adrian’s had such a wonderful career," Horner said during the aforementioned interview. "He’s been hard at it for the last 30 years. Seven years with Williams, seven years with McLaren and then he’s done the best part of 20 years with us."

Horner added:

"Just speaking with him, he’s reached a point where the team is in great shape. We’re performing at such a high level. He feels that now is the right time to step away, take a bit of time out. He’s still going to be working on his RB17, the track car that we’re designing but he feels that now is the time to take a break."

Adrian Newey's future continues to be a mystery as the ace designer is yet to take a call on what's next. At the moment, names like Ferrari, and Williams are at the top of the list, with a stint at the Scuderia appearing to be the most likely eventuality.