Former Ferrari man questions Christian Horner's ability on whether he could prevent mass exodus at Red Bull

Former Ferrari engineer Ernest Knoors recently talked about whether Red Bull team boss Christian Horner could prevent a potential mass departure of several team members following Adrian Newey's exit rumors.

On Thursday, April 25, many reports from reputed sources claimed that Adrian Newey decided to leave the Austrian team. Since the aero wizard had a glorious stint with the Austrian team, this rumor exploded in the F1 space.

While some reports claimed his departure was due to the ongoing power struggle within the team, others stated that it was due to his lack of involvement in the F1 team.

Many started speculating which team the Brit could join after parting ways with Red Bull. Teams like Ferrari, Aston Martin, etc., were frequently mentioned as top destinations for Newey.

Speaking to RacingNews365, Knoors said that the rumors of Adrian Newey leaving Red Bull could spark thoughts of leaving among other team members as well. He questioned whether Christian Horner would be able to retain as much talent as possible and prevent a mass exodus.

"It is a big risk for Red Bull. The stability of the team. What else is going to happen? Who else is going to leave? At some point a strong leader, in this case Christian Horner, does have to make sure he keeps enough techies and bright minds in that team. And is Christian Horner currently the undisputed and impeccable leader who can provide that? That may well be questionable," the former Ferrari engineer said.

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Red Bull officially dismisses rumors about Adrian Newey's exit

Red Bull officially dismissed rumors about Adrian Newey leaving the Austrian team and addressed his current contract.

While the entire F1 space was engulfed with rumors about Newey's departure, Sportskeeda spoke to a team's spokesperson, who clarified that the car designer had a contract with the Austrian team until 2025. They added that the defending world champions are unaware of him connecting with any of their rivals.

“Adrian is contracted until at least the end of 2025, and we are unaware of him joining any other team,” the spokesperson said.

Adrian Newey has been working with the Milton Keynes-based outfit since 2006. During that time, the team was fairly new and struggled to find its footing in Formula 1. With Newey-designed cars, they gradually pulled themselves up and started winning championships from 2010 to 2013, with Sebastian Vettel dominating the grid.

Despite Mercedes beginning their dominant run in the hybrid era from 2014 to 2020, Newey's Red Bull cars were always near the top, fighting for a few wins. Eventually, the Austrian team, with Max Verstappen, was able to beat Mercedes and regain the top step in 2021, starting their second dominance era in Formula 1 in 2022.