CRUNCH TALKS: Red Bull designer Adrian Newey is expected to speak to the team. Photo: Bradley Collyer/PA
Adrian Newey is expected to hold talks with Red Bull over the next 72 hours to check his future, PA news firm has learned.
Newey’s move to Red Bull has been called into question after it said on Thursday that it had asked to leave the team at the end of the year, with Ferrari, ahead of Lewis Hamilton’s arrival in 2025, as his likely top destination.
The 65-year-old Briton is one of the most influential car designers in Formula 1 history, and has played a major role in Max Verstappen’s ongoing dominance over the sport, putting the Dutchman on course to win a fourth consecutive world championship.
Newey is unhappy with his current position at Red Bull (the team he joined from McLaren in 2006) and reports that he will leave at the end of the season have prompted the need for immediate talks.
But Newey’s next steps are also likely to affect the career of the team’s superstar driver Verstappen, who has continually refused to confirm that he will remain at Red Bull beyond this year.
Verstappen, who has a contract with Red Bull until 2028, said at last weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix that he was just looking for a “calm and non-violent atmosphere” when asked if he would stay with the team.
And Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has refused to stop the 26-year-old, who has so far won four of five races, from replacing Hamilton.
A Red Bull spokesperson said: “Adrian has a contract until at least the end of 2025 and we don’t know if he will join the team.
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