F1 News: Adrian Newey Provides Update On His "Countdown" To Retirement From Red Bull
Red Bull chief technological officer Adrian Newey has provided an update on his "countdown" to retirement following the team's 100th win at the Canadian Grand Prix yesterday.
Max Verstappen drove the team to victory from pole position to earn this incredible milestone and to also continue the streak of the Austrian team winning every race of the 2023 season so far.
During an interview with Sky Sports' Ted Kravitz, the legendary aerodynamicist spoke about the momentous moment for himself and the team. Newey commented:
“It's been an amazing journey. My dream always from a kid was to be in engineering and motor racing, so when I got my first job in motor racing and got my first salary, that was really the big moment. Everything else has been a bonus.
“They’re [all his wins] obviously all special. The ones that of course stand out are the first one in Mexico, and then the ones where the championship has gone down to the wire.
“You can argue that is the end of the championship, so, of course, it’s that race - Abu Dhabi with Sebastian [Vettel] against Fernando [Alonso, 2010] and then Max against Lewis [Hamilton, 2021].”
Newey's contract with Red Bull was a huge discussion point earlier in the season as it was due to come up for renewal. There were rumours of him moving to another team or even heading into retirement. However, Newey has now extended his contract with Red Bull.
Kravitz asked Newey about his future in the sport to which he confirmed that his time is realistically on a countdown. He explained:
“I’m lucky enough to be doing what I have always wanted to do and enjoy the job. I’ve loved it.
“Of course, my career can’t go on forever, so I think as long as the team want me and I keep enjoying it, I’ll keep going.
“But that’s got to be…realistically, it’s on a countdown. Exactly when that day is, I don’t know.”