Newey's future made clear amid claims of Christian Horner plot against F1 legend

13 March 2024 , 13:21

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Christian Horner and Adrian Newey are long-time colleagues at Red Bull (Image: Getty Images)

Christian Horner is NOT planning to relegate Adrian Newey out of Red Bull's Formula 1 projects, contrary to reports.

A power struggle behind the scenes at the Red Bull parent company has led to key figures within the F1 team being placed on one side or another. And a fresh claim from Auto Motor und Sport suggested design legend Newey is to be sidelined against his will.

The German outlet claims Horner is working to push Newey out of F1 altogether. The report suggests the 65-year-old would be limited solely to work on the company's RB17 hypercar project, in which the legendary car designer has already played a key role.

While it is true that Newey will continue to work on the RB17, understands claims that Horner is trying to push him out of the team are false.

Newey's involvement in the day-to-day work on Red Bull's F1 efforts is no longer what it was, but he still plays a key role in the bigger picture. Technical director Pierre Wache oversees the details of car design and development these days, though Newey still offers a considerable amount through his experience and expertise. He signed a new contract to continue with Red Bull Racing only last year.

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And he plans to continue with that arrangement. Newey does not plan to travel to the upcoming Australian Grand Prix, but he will make the journey to Suzuka in early April, working at the Japanese Grand Prix in his ongoing role as Red Bull Racing's chief technology officer. A spokesperson for the team has confirmed to Mirror Sport that this is the case.

Rumours of discontent between Horner and Newey have been placed in the public domain by others within the Red Bull group. It is a symptom of an ongoing battle for control behind the scenes which has hijacked what began as a complaint made against Horner by a colleague.

The female employee, whose identity has been kept private, accused the team principal of inappropriate behaviour, which he denied. Red Bull GmbH hired an external investigator to look into the matter who later dismissed the grievance against Horner.

The complainant has the right to appeal against that decision. Some reports claimed there was a deadline for her to submit that appeal of last Wednesday, which was later reported to have been extended to yesterday - but it is understood that both those dates are incorrect.

But those who clearly want Horner gone have used it as an opportunity to further their own agendas. Some, such as Jos Verstappen, have publicly called for the 50-year-old's exit, while others are using more clandestine methods of causing upheaval within the team.

Daniel Moxon