After almost two decades with Red Bull, legendary F1 designer Adrian Newey will be leaving in the first quarter of 2025. The transformation at the Milton Keynes squad from the moment he arrived has been unquestionable, with the Briton playing a key role in the team’s six constructors’ titles, seven drivers’ titles and their 117 Grand Prix wins to date.

Add that to the array of championships he achieved earlier in his career with Williams and McLaren and his track record speaks for itself. With the talk now centred on where Newey could end up next, our writers have been having their say on where they’d love to see the esteemed designer go after he departs Red Bull…

James Hinchcliffe, IndyCar Race Winner and Analyst

It is incredibly tough to win a single World Championship in Formula 1, never mind multiple. To do it with more than one team is even rarer. For Adrian Newey to have contributed to 13 drivers’ and 12 constructors’ titles across three different teams puts him in his own realm of F1 success.

Given that, if the man wanted to call it quits on the most decorated design career in motorsports, I certainly wouldn’t hold it against him. But I would still love to see him give it one more go. For me, that ‘go’ would be Ferrari.

He has said in the past that Ferrari is a team, and Lewis Hamilton is a driver, that he would love to work with. We already have the romanticised scenario of Hamilton joining the Scuderia for his swan-song stint in F1.

How fitting would it be for Newey to join him and attempt to win himself a title with an unprecedented fourth team, while simultaneously giving Hamilton the record-breaking eighth drivers’ crown before they both sign off and step away from the sport at the top of their success?

Fingers crossed we get to see two powerhouses finally unite in the most storied team in F1 for one last shot at title glory.

Chris Medland, Special Contributor

I know the smart money is on Ferrari and that would be a very romantic tie-up alongside Lewis Hamilton, but I’d love to see Newey go back to Williams.

Ferrari and McLaren certainly appear to be on the right track already with their technical teams, and have been starting to challenge Red Bull, so I feel like it would be amazing to see Newey have an even bigger impact on moving an iconic team forward once again if he joined up with James Vowles at Grove.

Additionally, it would also kind of bring his F1 career full circle having first been winning with Williams.

Although he might be thinking about retirement, he could help set the team on a path towards the front once again.

Lawrence Barretto, F1 Correspondent and Presenter

To deliver the ultimate romantic sporting tale, I would love to see Adrian Newey head to Italy and link up with Ferrari and the incoming Lewis Hamilton.

Newey has sprinkled magic dust wherever he’s been, delivering championship-winning machinery at iconic outfits such as Williams and McLaren before playing a key role in delivering two dominant eras for Red Bull.

If he were to take that dust to Ferrari and end a near two-decade wait for a World Championship, that would not only be his greatest achievement – but it would also be a fairytale ending to a glittering career that marks him out as the greatest designer of all time.

The 65-year-old has been tempted by a move to Ferrari at least twice before. He’s already admitted it would be a shame if he never works for F1’s most famous team. He has also said it would be a great regret if he never gets to work with Hamilton.

Ferrari are trying to build a super team of the ilk that dominated F1 in the early 2000s with Michael Schumacher, Jean Todt, Ross Brawn and Rory Byrne.

Team Principal Fred Vasseur and racing protege Charles Leclerc were the first pieces. Hamilton is the latest. Newey could be the final piece. Surely now is the time for the stars to align.

Newey has said in the past it would be a regret if he never gets to work with Lewis Hamilton

David Tremayne, Hall of Fame F1 Journalist

There would be two reasons why I wouldn’t expect Newey to retire. He is a young 65, fit, healthy, still, I believe, determined and with things still to prove. The second is that, while he harbours the intention to sail the world with his wife Amanda, he told a friend over the weekend that his new boat is not yet ready – in a manner that suggests delivery isn’t imminent.

So where would I expect him to end up? Aston Martin’s Mike Krack got uncharacteristically snappy about it when questioned repeatedly at the weekend, and my reading of that is that he’s told them no.

I don’t, for some reason, see him at Mercedes. I’m just not sure he’d fit there. RB is out for obvious Red Bull-related reasons. Alpine, Haas, Audi/Sauber? I’m not sure.

And what of McLaren? While he has history with the team, they seem quite nicely fixed on the technical side.

Which leaves Williams and Ferrari.

While he also has previous success at Williams, I have my doubts even though bringing his old team – now an underdog – back up might appeal. But I just don’t see Adrian Newey putting up with less-than-perfect technical facilities after everything he’s been used to. And James Vowles (and before him Jost Capito) have made no secret of the fact that they have a long way to catch up in that area.

Which means I’d love him to land at Ferrari, if he still wants to stay in F1, which I believe he does. I don’t see him quitting just yet (and I admit much of that is because, personally, I’d like to see him stick around).

I could see John Elkann setting up whatever satellite operation might prove necessary to persuade Adrian to join up, and which he might need to wave his magic aero wand from wherever he wants to be based. That could be the UK, John Barnard-style (easier if the job is mainly aero), or South Africa where he spends a lot of time lately.

Lewis and Charles in Newey-aeroed Ferraris, even if it is Adrian as advisor rather than primary instigator? I could see that having very strong attractions across the Anglo-Italian divide.

Greg Stuart, Senior Editor

Aston Martin owner Lawrence Stroll has done an admirable job of overhauling the team that began life as Jordan, transforming their Silverstone facility into a world-class F1 HQ, with some fine technical signings to boot.

But if you want F1’s best technical brain, you’ve arguably got to have Newey. Stroll has the thirst for success to make it happen, while Newey has previous with Aston Martin through designing their insane Valkyrie road car.

With Newey on the open market, it’s a no-brainer for Stroll to push hard to make his signing to Aston Martin a reality – while I think Newey would relish the challenge of turning the some-time podium challengers into certifiable top dogs of the sport… and, at long last, getting the chance to work with Fernando Alonso.

Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur and Aston Martin owner Lawrence Stroll would both surely love to have Newey on board with their respective teams

Mike Seymour, Staff Writer

There’s no denying that Ferrari is the romantic next move for Newey – a tempting box he has yet to tick and a coveted line he has yet to add to his incredible CV. Newey himself admitted last year that he holds some “emotional” regret at not previously heading to Maranello, while namechecking seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton – who will join Ferrari in 2025 – as a driver it would have been “fabulous” to work with. All the stars seem to be aligning, then…

Well, while this would be a sensational story for the sport, and potentially offer Newey a perfect combination of F1 and supercar projects, it almost feels too simple.

Asked in Miami about the prospect of Newey heading to the team following his Red Bull exit, current Ferrari racer Charles Leclerc echoed comments from future team mate Hamilton by stating that the legendary designer would be an “amazing” addition. But there was also an important side note.

“We are a really, really good team already,” he said. “In the last seven to eight months we have done incredible progress.”

Sure, Newey would undoubtedly have a positive impact on the Scuderia and help to make “the difference”, in Leclerc’s words, but romance aside, is that enough of a challenge? One option that could give Newey the best of both worlds is a return to Williams, who offer a personal connection, the rich history that goes with one of F1’s most famous names, are based in the UK and have been working hard to climb up the grid.

Newey would not be stepping into an operation whose production line boasts recent, race-winning cars, but one without a point on the board so far this season. Indeed, with the significant 2026 regulation changes on the horizon, rather than working to keep a competitive force at the sharp end, he could play a leading role in James Vowles’s quest to awaken a sleeping giant and catapult Williams back to their glory days.

Or the 65-year-old could go against all our comments, take his new boat around the world and enjoy a well-earned retirement.