Sky F1’s Bernie Collins has explained that if Adrian Newey leaves Red Bull, there will be “massive repercussions” on the team’s plans related to massive adjustments to F1’s regulations for 2026.
Newey has been widely reported to be his long career at Red Bull after 18 years with the team, with his generation leader having been at the helm of the design of all thirteen drivers’ and constructors’ titles since entering Formula 1.
With reports coming from several prominent sources, Red Bull responded by reiterating Newey’s contractual standing with the team and said they were not aware of any contracts signed on the grid.
“Adrian has a contract until at least the end of 2025,” a Red Bull spokesperson told PlanetF1. com.
“We don’t know if he’ll join any other team. “
But if he decides to leave a team he has had so much success with, Collins, a former Aston Martin and McLaren strategist, explained that the consequences for the car would not necessarily be immediate, but given the huge regulation update on the horizon, he predicts a “massive domino effect” for Red Bull.
Speaking about the option of Newey’s departure, he told Sky Sports News: “It’s great news and it’s been coming up for a while, there’s been a lot of talk about Adrian’s contract, where he’s going, is it Aston?Is it Ferrari?
“It’s great news for any team, because within a team you have those leaders, no matter what they’re doing, and I think that’s what Christian [Horner] seeks to say: ‘you know, there’s a lot of others’. ‘. designers running in the background.
“But this team is built around Adrian, he grew the team, he built the structure, and the greater struggle of forces is also worrisome.
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“This will mean Adrian won’t be there for the regulation update in 2026 and that will have a big impact on the functionality of this car.
“Red Bull has been the most powerful in aerodynamics in recent years and even before, even when they weren’t winning.
“This will have a huge ripple effect on his championship going forward. “
Collins added that at the time of filming, no announcement had been made regarding Newey’s long career with the team, but that there would also be implications for Max Verstappen given that he has pushed Newey-led designs to his three world championships.
In addition, the departure of a totemic figure like him would also be a “crucial” piece of the puzzle, despite the many talents Red Bull has within the team.
“We don’t yet know if the ball has been fully thrown, as this is a sign of a major power struggle,” he added.
“So, Max is also satisfied? You know, there’s been a lot of discussion about that. Maybe it’s a more vital issue, but Max and a lot of drivers won because of the car, because the car is solid, you want the mix of both.
“It may not have any effect next year, even though Adrian is on leave to work in the garden at that time, but in 2026 with the new regulations, if he’s not driving this car and there’s this internal strength struggle within the team that races in this car. Despite the amount of excellent aerodynamic engineers he has, he needs the team to work well and he needs that leadership.
“That’s why it’s very important for his chances in 2026. “
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