"I’ve spoken to Adrian at length about that" - Red Bull team principal Christian Horner dismisses major speculation around Newey's departure

The Red Bull team principal has dismissed speculation that Adrian Newey left the team because of the internal investigation against Horner at the start of the season. The ace designer's departure from the team came as a surprise because he had been part of the squad since 2006.

According to reports, the reason behind his departure is still unclear, with claims being made that the relationship between Newey and Horner had broken down. This was because of the comments made by the team principal, who credited not only the ace designer but also the entire team for the success achieved by Red Bull.

According to reports, this was something that created a rift between the two and coupled with the political unrest at Red Bull, it triggered Newey's exit from the team. Team principal Christian Horner, however, quashed these rumors, saying that he still remains friends with Newey even if the partnership at the team comes to an end.

Talking to the media, including Sportskeeda, Christian Horner said:

“I’ve spoken to Adrian at length about that and Adrian’s position is very clear. We have enjoyed a great relationship, and we continue to enjoy a great relationship. We are friends as well as work colleagues and he’s done a huge amount for this team. We’ll be sad to see him leave, but he’s left the team in good shape and we’ve got a great team of people and strength and depth to take us forward."

He added:

"If you speak with Adrian and look at the statements that he’s put out, Adrian’s decided that the timing for him is now – after pretty much 35 years [in F1], with the team and the strength and the engineering depth that we have – to step away. We knew that time was coming and we’ve built a structure in place to be able to pick up the baton and carry on with it. That’s something that’s been put in place over the last five or six years."

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Adrian Newey's future post-Red Bull remains a mystery

Adrian Newey's future post-Red Bull remains a mystery at the moment, as there is a lack of clarity over what he'll do next. His manager, Eddie Jordan has hinted that he would expect the ace designer to take some time off but there's nothing official yet.

There have been reports of multiple teams including Mercedes, Aston Martin, Ferrari, and even Williams, reaching out to Newey. His future, however, appears unclear at the moment, even though the Italian giant is seemingly in pole position to secure his services.

Newey has been part of F1 since the 1980s, and even before his stint at Red Bull, had been a very successful designer with McLaren and Williams in the 1990s.