In recent days, not a single sports publication about Formula 1, even briefly, can do without material about Adrian Newey, the most successful race designer in the history of the world championship. The Spanish newspaper Marca also did not stay aside, whose journalists decided to speculate whether Newey had a real chance of accepting an offer from another team – be it Ferrari, Aston Martin or Mercedes.
The various rumors and gossip about Newey included the names of all three teams, each of which was reportedly willing to pay him many times more than the millions of pounds he receives from Red Bull Racing. However, this is not just about the theoretical compensation he could probably receive at Maranello, Silverstone or Brackley.
As Marca writes, Newey’s current contract with Red Bull, signed in the middle of last year, is very complex, and that is no coincidence: lawyers working for the champion team have deliberately included many difficult conditions in the text of the agreements in order to making sure to make it as difficult as possible for him to leave the team.
Nevertheless, there are some options, but they come with very large compensation payments. It is known that Newey’s commitment to Red Bull Racing does not expire until the end of 2025, but then – and this is standard practice in Formula 1 – a so-called ‘gardening leave’ will follow. Another term is more understandable to us: academic leave, so we will use that.
And this vacation should last at least 12 months – accordingly, the aerodynamics genius will be able to actually start working in another team no earlier than 2027.
However, the possibility of terminating the contract earlier has been formally provided for, so in theory this date can be brought closer, but this will entail extremely large additional costs, which will obviously have to be borne by the team where Newey decides to move. .
By the way, he himself has not yet announced such intentions, at least not publicly. It can be assumed that in these Formula 1 teams, or more precisely in the structures that control their economies, there is intensive work going on behind the scenes involving both lawyers and financiers. Who can afford to pay Red Bull a colossal fine for Newey?
This is now of interest to many, as one thing is clear: if you wait until he is freed from all obligations to his current employers, by then he will already be almost 70 years old. To be precise: 68, and it is very logical that he is inclined to think about a well-deserved rest. However, anyone who dreams of his services must now develop new cars, because new technical regulations will come into force in Formula 1 in 2026.
In general, on the one hand, the situation is complex, on the other hand, there is a way out, but it is associated with very high costs. Presumably so big that they can safely be called a record.
It’s unknown how much Newey is concerned about this, but it’s entirely possible he already knows what he’s going to do on his year-long vacation — when and if to take it.
On his behalf, the British company Oyster Yachts is already in full swing with the construction of a 27-meter ocean-class sailing yacht, and he himself is actively involved in its creation. There are only 10 Oyster 885 yachts in the world, and each of them cost their owners around $6 million or more.
In the case of Newey, which is due to hit the market in 2024, the price tag will be even more impressive as the boat is built to meet its specific requirements. Maybe he’s planning to take a break from all that hustle and bustle of traveling around the world?
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
