Reporting note: this article draws on Sky Sports; PGLive provides the summary and editorial framing.
The Newey Horner book and the 2014 Ferrari offer
Adrian Newey has answered the criticism aimed at him in the Newey Horner book Drive, saying he doubts Christian Horner fully understood his frustration during Red Bull's Renault-powered slump. Newey spoke at Friday's team principals' press conference at the United States Grand Prix in Austin, and confirmed he has not yet read the autobiography.
Horner, who ran Red Bull as team principal for 19 years while Newey served as technical chief, writes that mid-way through 2014 he became disappointed in the designer after Newey received an offer from Ferrari and considered leaving the team.
"I stood behind him and believed that he stood behind me as well. But at the first sign of adversity, Adrian wanted to abandon ship. I felt very sad about that."
Horner added that despite Newey's importance to the team, "I could no longer rely on him. Our partnership was not as solid as I had previously believed."
Red Bull's Renault years and the Honda reset
Newey's reply centred on the power unit rather than on loyalty. Red Bull won four straight titles with Renault from 2010 to 2013, then fell behind Mercedes when the turbo-hybrid regulations arrived in 2014 and the French manufacturer struggled to adapt.
"As a chassis designer, if the PU manufacturer has a bad year, that happens and you accept it," Newey said. "If the PU manufacturer has a bad year and doesn't appear to have any intention of trying to address the problem, that's altogether a different matter and that's quite bleak at that point. And that's the situation that unfortunately we faced in 2014."
He said the relationship with that supplier did not really change until Red Bull moved to Honda in 2019. "So, you can imagine my pain and frustration at that. I don't think Christian fully understood that, perhaps. But I was in conversation."
Newey ultimately turned down Ferrari in 2014 and signed a new contract to stay, though he began splitting his time with other Red Bull projects outside Formula 1. He remained a further decade before leaving in 2024.
Two title eras and the years in between
The disagreement covers the gap between the two successful phases of the Horner-Newey partnership. Red Bull dominated with Sebastian Vettel across 2010-2013, then returned to the top with Max Verstappen from 2021 to 2024.
In between, Mercedes controlled the sport under the hybrid rules, and the Newey-designed Red Bull chassis was compromised by an engine that could not match the benchmark. That stretch is the backdrop to Horner's claim that his designer looked for a way out at the first sign of trouble, and to Newey's counter that the problem sat with the power unit supplier rather than with him.
Aston Martin parallels and Horner's praise
Newey is now at Aston Martin, where the report describes him as team principal and managing technical partner. Horner, promoting the book, said he saw similarities between that rebuild and Red Bull's early years following the 2005 buyout of an underachieving Jaguar operation.
Newey agreed with the comparison. "Both teams that through their history had had quite a lot of turmoil with changes of owners, changes of senior managers, etcetera," he said. "It's then really trying to get everybody working together, try to break down silos, improve the culture. And that's been exactly the same again."
Horner told Sky Sports News this week: "Adrian is without doubt the best designer that Formula 1 has ever seen. His track record speaks for itself." He added that Aston Martin owner Lawrence Stroll "has obviously invested heavily in that team" and that "they've got their own journey that they're on, and it'll be interesting to see how it plays out."
Newey said the two men remain friends and that he is godfather to Horner's daughter Olivia. "The rest of it I really can't comment," he added.
United States Grand Prix schedule
Qualifying in Austin is scheduled for 10pm UK time on Saturday, with the race at 8pm on Sunday, live on Sky Sports F1. Practice Three begins at 6.30pm on Saturday.
This report is based on the original article at skysports.com.
