Adrian Newey suspects Christian Horner did not “fully understand” his “pain and frustration” during Red Bull’s years of sweat with Renault engines following criticism of him in the former team principal’s new book.
Horner as team principal and Newey as technical chief worked together with great success over 19 years at Red Bull, enjoying two periods of consistent title-winning form with first Sebastian Vettel in 2010-2013 and then Max Verstappen in 2021-2024.
But between those periods Red Bull took a backseat to Mercedes’ dominance of the sport after the arrival of turbo-hybrid engines in 2014.
Red Bull initially continued to be powered by Renault, as in their four title-winning years under the previous rules era, but the French manufacturer struggled with the new regulations, which compromised the performance of the team’s Newey-designed car.
Writing in his newly published autobiography, TravelHorner recounted a period in mid-2014 when he became disillusioned with Newey after the legendary designer had received an offer to join Ferrari and was considering whether to leave.
Horner wrote: “I stood behind him and believed he stood behind me too. But at the first sign of trouble, Adrian wanted to abandon ship. I felt very sad about it.”
Horner added that, despite Newey’s importance to the team, “I couldn’t rely on him anymore. Our partnership was not as solid as I had previously believed.”
Horner’s comments were put to Newey at Friday’s team principals’ press conference at the United States Grand Prix.
“You’re quite right that, no, I haven’t read any of it (the book) yet,” Newey replied.
“I think 2014, as a chassis designer, if the PU (Power Unit) manufacturer has a bad year, it happens and you accept it.
“If the UP manufacturer has a bad year and doesn’t seem to have any intention of trying to address the problem, that’s a whole other issue and it’s pretty bleak at that point. And that’s the situation we unfortunately faced in 2014.
Adrian Newey and Christian Horner at the Red Bull pit wall in 2014
“And as it turned out, that situation didn’t really change with that supplier until we switched to Honda in 2019.
“So you can imagine my pain and frustration about that. I think Christian didn’t quite understand that, maybe. But I was in the conversation.”
Ultimately rejecting Ferrari’s offer in 2014, Newey signed a new contract to stay at Red Bull, but began dividing his time with other projects at the company outside of F1.
Newey stayed another decade at Red Bull before finally leaving in 2024 to join Aston Martin the following year, where he is team principal and technical managing partner.
Newey added: “The rest (in the book) I really can’t comment on, but Christian and I remain friends. As many of you know, I’m godfather to his daughter Olivia, so yeah.”
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Christian Horner explains the reasons why he left Red Bull Racing.
In interviews to publicize his book, Horner said he saw parallels between Newey’s current experience in trying to turn around a struggling Aston Martin team in their early years at Red Bull following the energy drinks purchase of a struggling Jaguar outfit in 2005.
It was a comparison Newey agreed with.
“I think there are actually a lot of parallels between when I started at Red Bull and when I started at Aston Martin,” Newey said.
“Both teams that during their history had a lot of turmoil with changes of owners, changes of senior managers, etc.
“Then it’s really trying to, as we’ve talked about before, get everybody working together, trying to break down the silos, improve the culture. And it’s been the same thing again.”
Speaking of Sky Sports News Earlier this week, Horner said: “Adrian is without a doubt the best designer Formula 1 has ever seen. His track record speaks for itself.
“Lawrence (Stroll) is a very accomplished guy. He’s a very driven guy and he’s obviously invested a lot in that team. Honestly, I think they’ve got their own journey that they’re on and it’s going to be interesting to see how it plays out.”
Sky Sports F1 United States GP live schedule
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Check out some of the most dramatic moments that have happened at the United States Grand Prix.
Saturday, October 24
18:15: Third Practice of the United States Grand Prix (session starts at 18:30)
20:30: United States Grand Prix Qualifying*
22:00: UNITED STATES GRAND PRIZE QUALIFICATION*
12:00: F1 Academy race 2*
12.45: Ted’s qualifying notebook*
Sunday, October 25
17:00: Race 3 of the F1 Academy
18:30: Grand Prix Sunday: US GP Preparation*
20:00: United States Grand Prix*
10:00 p.m.: Checkered flag: US GP reaction
11:00 p.m.: Teddy’s Notebook
*also on Sky Sports Main Event
Formula 1 heads to the Americas for another treble with the United States Grand Prix in Austin, the first this weekend, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports NOW – no contract, cancel anytime