Why was Adrian Newey 'nervous' before joining Red Bull? Legendary F1 designer opens up on his experience

Red Bull Chief Technology Officer, Adrian Newey, recently reminisced about how he felt before joining the Milton Keynes-based team. The British engineer has been in F1 for a very long time and is considered to be the best in the business.

Newey was slightly uncertain about his move to the Austrian team back in 2006. In an official Red Bull interview, Adrian Newey expressed how he was slightly nervous before leaving McLaren. This was mainly because at the time, Christian Horner was the newly appointed team principal, but he was quite inexperienced and young. Newey explained:

"Yes, there was a bit of nervousness on my part. I'd been lucky enough to work for two great teams, and I'd been fortunate enough to win several races, championships and so forth."

Red Bull's Chief Technical Officer also explained how he was slightly dissatisfied at McLaren back in 2005 after they were unable to win any championships after 1999.

Moreover, he wanted to start fresh with a developing team and build his very own car. Of course, since Red Bull was a small team back then, they only focused on winning races rather than competing for championships. He further said:

"I just felt it was starting to get a bit stale at McLaren. Like Leyton House, it felt like unfinished business that there was a team to be involved in right from the start. Winning championships seemed a very distant dream. Just trying to win races was something that really intrigued me."

It is safe to say that Adrian Newey had some of the best years in the Milton Keynes-based team, winning four world constructors' championships with Sebastian Vettel and now with Max Verstappen.

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Red Bull and Ford partnership rumored for 2026 engines

Recently, there have been several reports that Red Bull could be shaking hands with the famous American automotive giant, Ford, for their next generation of engines. Especially after the talks with Porsche died down, this rumor seems to be quite solid. A report by Motorsport.com's Italian edition says:

"The American company has understood how important F1 is becoming in global communication and seems to be interested in entering the GPs from 2026 by financially supporting Red Bull which has embarked on the construction of its own power unit. The US giant could get in the way of negotiations with the Japanese Honda who, in turn, have decided to subscribe to the next-generation engines. There will not only be Audi as the new brand involved in the GPs."

Though Honda is also rumored to return to F1 in 2026, it has not yet been confirmed whether the Austrian team will reunite with the Japanese Automotive company or not.

Ford coming into F1 could've been fueled by the sport's increased influence in the United States. Moreover, since Ford is a highly successful and wealthy automotive company, it could help the Bulls financially and in several other areas.