Adrian Newey reveals his first plan after Red Bull – and it wasn’t Ferrari or even racing. Adrian Newey revealed that after leaving Red Bull, his first choice wasn’t Formula 1.

Adrian Newey and Ferrari: a marriage that never happened. The aerodynamic genius, after announcing his departure from Red Bull last year, took some time to decide his next destination. That didn’t stop Formula 1 teams from trying to sign him; in the end, though, the British engineer preferred to stay close to home, accepting Aston Martin’s offer.

More than a year after the sensational news of his departure from Red Bull, Adrian Newey returned to the thorny topic, revealing a behind-the-scenes fact: which team would he have joined? His answer: none!

“I resigned from Red Bull for a variety of reasons. Honestly, at that point I had no idea what I would do next,” the engineer said in an interview with Sky Sports F1.

“So we sat down. We thought about it, chatting with Mandy, my wife, about what we should do. The options ranged from relaxing and going on a sunny vacation, drinking lots of margaritas or something like that, to going back to work,” he admitted.

Then came the option of the America’s Cup. Red Bull Technologies was involved in the category, and that sparked Adrian Newey’s interest. However, the British engineer soon noticed a clear difference between sailing and Formula 1.

“The America’s Cup is very interesting, it’s a parallel universe. The technologies are all very similar. The only thing I don’t like about the America’s Cup is that there’s no chance for a rematch. There’s a competition every four years,” he admitted.

“And from the time the boat hits the water to when the race happens, you have at most two months. So, if the project isn’t ready yet, you don’t have time to perfect it.” In Formula 1, on the other hand, “even if the season doesn’t start well, if the car’s base is right, if you have the right power unit and great drivers, then you can turn the situation around. And McLaren is a great current example of that,” Adrian Newey continued.

What to do, then? At that point the answer was very simple: “Road cars have always been an interest of mine,” he said. “I enjoyed the Valkyrie project, and I also like the RB17 project because I’m still involved in it. What I’ve loved about my career has been the combination of man and machine, the sporting commitment, the fact that every week—or very often now every week—you’re in the spotlight.”
So, nothing to be done: Adrian Newey flirted with the idea of trying something different, but the pull of Formula 1 proved stronger.