Adrian Newey admits: the countdown to his retirement has begun
Having secured his 100th victory with Red Bull in Canada, Adrian Newey, whose career in motorsport began in 1980, confesses that the countdown to his retirement has started in a "realistic" manner.
This Sunday, on the podium of the Canadian Grand Prix, there were not only Verstappen, Alonso, and Hamilton, but also Adrian Newey. The 64-year-old engineer and perhaps the best designer in Formula 1 came to collect the constructor’s trophy, as a symbol after so many victorious years at Red Bull. But here’s the thing, the man for whom everything accelerated starting in 1980 is surely closer to the end than the beginning, and he himself says so.
In an interview with Sky Sports, he described his career as an extraordinary journey.
“« Since my childhood, I dreamt of pursuing engineering and racing. So when I landed my first job in the field of racing and received my first salary, it was truly a great moment. Everything else has just been a bonus »,” he said.
The countdown to his retirement has begun in a “realistic” way
On Sky Sports’ microphone, he reminisced about his greatest victories, the ones that made his legend. The most memorable ones are undoubtedly the first one in Mexico, and then the ones where the championship was decided by a hair’s breadth. So, of course, it’s that race in Abu Dhabi with Sebastian Vettel against Fernando Alonso in 2010 and then Max against Lewis in 2021, he said.
Finally, as if to say that he was nearing the end of his career, he declared: “I am fortunate to be able to do what I have always wanted to do and to love this job. I have loved it.”
According to several statisticians, this 100th victory for Red Bull is also the 200th victory for an F1 car designed by the great Adrian Newey. The details of a contract with Red Bull are unknown, therefore the end date is not known. What is certain is that he will still be here for a few more years, before perhaps another team wants to take him away. There are many of them.
