Next season in F1 will not feature an Adrian Newey-designed car on the grid. This alone makes it one of the most intriguing seasons of the past decade. The reasons are clear. The technical equilibrium already observed during the last campaign is expected to continue, thanks to the natural performance convergence driven by continuity in the technical regulations. Adding to the excitement will be the driver reshuffling, following a driver market rarely so full of news, including bombshells like Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari.
Perhaps less captivating for fans, but equally significant in terms of its impact on results, is the engineers’ carousel. For weeks, the spotlight was on Adrian Newey’s departure from Red Bull after 18 years of fruitful professional collaboration. The English designer decided to end the longest chapter of his illustrious career, likely a desire that had been brewing for some time and was accelerated by the organizational turmoil caused by an internal investigation involving Christian Horner.
Contractually speaking, the British genius, hailing from the town that gave birth to William Shakespeare, is still tied to Red Bull but has no involvement in the F1 program. As per the statement from the Milton Keynes-based team in May, his contract termination will occur in the first quarter of next year. This decision was mutual and intended to delay the start of his new adventure at Aston Martin. Essentially, Adrian Newey’s next creation will be based on the 2026 regulatory framework.
This represents a tremendous opportunity to reaffirm his skill in crafting a new aerodynamic philosophy rooted in a masterful interpretation of the regulations. Regulatory resets often act as “shortcuts” to establishing new hierarchical orders, and it is with this belief that Aston Martin views the coming season as potentially transitional. For many other teams, however, it could be a truly special year. These circumstances offer unique opportunities. But what does this mean?
F1 Without Newey: The Need to Capitalize on the Genius’ Absence
For the first time in 38 years, no car on the F1 grid will be designed by the brilliant Anglo-Saxon designer. It marks the end of an era in the premier motorsport category, which began with the March 881 in 1988 and continued to the present day with the design of the Red Bull RB20, an imperfect car that still enabled Max Verstappen to claim his fourth world title. Over this span, Newey’s creations have won 26 world titles—14 drivers’ and 12 constructors’—and achieved 223 victories.
These figures make him the most successful individual in history. Consider that the cars conceived by this “deus ex machina” of aerodynamics have won only 25 fewer Grands Prix than Scuderia Ferrari, which has been a constant presence in motorsport’s top category. Adrian’s sabbatical year will be an exceptional opportunity to gauge the extent of his added value over more than three decades. Conversely, for the teams that have often had to chase the aerodynamic trends he set, 2025 will present a golden opportunity.
The current regulatory framework, in place since 2022, and the upcoming technical revolution in 2026, have heightened the importance of teams’ aerodynamic choices. This is a domain where the man who whispers to the air’s dynamics has had virtually no rivals for nearly four decades. The decline of the RB20 over the past season is clear evidence of the absence of the English designer’s genius from Red Bull’s efforts. It can be said that Newey’s absence, at least in terms of technical design, is the true BoP (Balance of Performance).
Forget wind tunnel and CFD limitations: Adrian wears down those who don’t have him. For contractual reasons, no F1 team will benefit from his genius this season. This is an opportunity too good to miss for Scuderia Ferrari, which, after years of futile courting, must take advantage of the engineer’s break—the very engineer who shattered the dreams of Ferrari and Alonso, as well as Charles Leclerc’s in 2022. The Briton did not leave an instruction manual at Red Bull, and the car has become an unsolvable puzzle. In short, in the absence of the cat Newey, the other mice will have to dance…
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