Zak Brown, the CEO of McLaren, stood alongside Adrian Newey.
McLaren CEO Zak Brown believes Adrian Newey might be the ‘first domino to fall’ at Red Bull, having seen extra “resumés flying around” in the wake of the announcement of his departure.
After a remarkable 19-year tenure at the team, Red Bull’s chief technology officer is set to leave the reigning World Champions in the first quarter of 2025. Throughout his time with the team, they have achieved an impressive 13 Drivers’ and Constructors’ titles, leaving the entire paddock curious about his future endeavors.
Zak Brown: Adrian Newey ‘probably the first domino to fall’ at Red Bull
Throughout Red Bull’s history, Newey has led the design team responsible for all of their championship-winning cars. In light of the well-known internal instability at Red Bull this year, McLaren CEO Brown finds Newey’s departure announcement “unsurprising.”
Newey, himself, has confirmed that his departure from Red Bull is motivated by the desire to explore new personal challenges. However, there have been strong speculations associating him with a possible transition to Ferrari. Additionally, Aston Martin and Williams have expressed their interest in acquiring his expertise.
However, Brown alleges that his impending departure from Red Bull has already had a ripple effect. He asserts that he has observed a surge in the interest of Red Bull employees seeking future employment opportunities at McLaren.
“In Miami, Brown expressed his lack of surprise at Newey’s early departure from Red Bull, stating, ‘If you had asked me six months ago, I would have been taken aback.'”
Considering everything that has happened since the beginning of the year and my knowledge of Adrian, who is a person of great integrity, it comes as no surprise to me that he is choosing to move on.
In my opinion, the events taking place there are causing some instability. I believe he is likely the initial catalyst for a chain reaction, and I expect that there will be others affected based on the impressive qualifications being circulated.
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Regarding McLaren, I am extremely pleased with the commendable efforts of the dedicated individuals working at McLaren.
Since the latter part of last year, we have demonstrated our ability to enhance the car’s performance. Therefore, I have complete faith in our team’s capabilities.
During the press conference, Brown claimed that individuals from Red Bull were actively seeking job opportunities at other teams following Newey’s announcement. However, Mike Krack and Laurent Mekies, who were also present at the conference, refuted receiving an increase in job applications. In contrast, Brown stated that McLaren has indeed experienced a rise in job applicants over the past few days.
Additionally, he mentioned, “We have noticed a surge in CVs being submitted by individuals interested in joining our team. I believe this is because Adrian Newey, who is widely recognized as the most accomplished designer in history, attracts talented professionals who aspire to work with him.”
I believe that the team will lack his valuable technical skills, and the absence of his leadership and the enthusiasm he brings to the table will be felt.
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