Adrian Newey is the most sought-after person in the racing business

Adrian Newey prefers to have a board in front of his head, as big as possible. So that his ideas for ever new, ever faster racing cars get the space they need. Alternatively, it can also be a clipboard with which he walks through the ranks on the starting grid before a Grand Prix – checking out what aerodynamic solutions the competitors have come up with.

But most of the time it’s the other way around, as the rest of Formula 1 is based on the “Lord of the Skies”: The Brit in the service of Red Bull Racing is not only the most unpretentious manager in this showmanship industry, but also by far the most successful. The designer is now largely responsible for 13 drivers’ and 12 constructors’ world championships. What else could the 65-year-old, who has a long-term contract with Red Bull Racing, want? Above all, one thing: his calm.

Newey suffers from tension

He finds this increasingly rare in the power struggle raging behind the scenes between the British and Austrians. The events surrounding Red Bull team boss Christian Horner, the toleration of motorsport consultant Helmut Marko, world champion Max Verstappen’s thoughts of leaving, all of this disrupts his concentration on the essentials.

Occasionally he might be happy that feelings don’t play a big role in his field, apart from conflicts with the technical regulations. Otherwise everything seems predictable there. Newey, as you can see, is physically suffering from the tension. His salary in the double-digit million range is of little use to him. The quiet man is brilliant when it comes to brooding, but it is not a permanent state for him; he has more important things on his mind.

So it is that before the Chinese Grand Prix this weekend he finds himself in the already boiling transfer market – as the true king of the premier class of motorsport. He has already rejected offers from Ferrari three times. How well he masters his profession is shown by the fact that the proud Italians have just asked for the fourth time. Newey is said to have already been seen at Bologna airport.

A second offer is said to have come from Aston Martin. Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll wants to have his top team complete for the big change in regulations in 2026. He has just had a gigantic racing factory and Formula 1’s most modern wind tunnel completed. The advantage of the up-and-coming racing team is primarily geographical, because Newey has strong ties to Great Britain and would like to have the same place of work and life in the long term.

So Newey is spoiled for choice. He recently stated publicly with regret how much he would have liked to have worked with Lewis Hamilton or Fernando Alonso at some point in his career. Hamilton will drive in red next year, Alonso will continue to wear green. This is a temptation in many ways.

Out of a climate of mistrust and into a place where one’s uniqueness would be valued. Adrian Newey’s great strength is that he learned the profession of racing engineer from scratch. He combines mechanical knowledge with technical routine and inventiveness in aerodynamics.

It is also helpful that he often worked in teams with smaller budgets and had to get the maximum out of a minimum through his innovations. You can rely on the man, he always builds radically at the limits of what is possible, but that makes the difference on the track.

Building fast and light racing cars is one thing, but above all the technical director attaches great importance to ensuring that his creations are as aesthetic as possible. Otherwise he would suffer physically. He is obsessed with detail and once he has formulated an idea, his approach never deviates from it.

Newey, who preferred to draw racing cars in religious education classes and preferred to experiment in the physics classroom instead of attending football training, is often unable to explain his actions to others. He must have excellent intuition, plus a certain genius. The fine antennae are likely to signal to the free spirit a crucial phase in his personal career. It’s all about nothing less than perhaps his last big contract at the moment.

Verstappen and Newey are likely to stay together

Mercedes has now also intervened in the competition for the star designer. It is likely that Newey will follow his protégé Verstappen – and the reverse should also apply. The Dutchman has a contract valid until 2028 with an exit clause if there are any decisive changes in team management.

Verstappen recently claimed that he would definitely still drive for Red Bull next season. That would be consistent with Newey being tied to his current employer until 2025. But it’s not just about Formula 1, but also about a spectacular super sports car that will be delivered to wealthy customers in the fall. The RB17 hypercar with 1,100 hp and a price of around six million francs is being built under Newey’s supervision at Red Bull in Milton Keynes. The car is a kind of crowning achievement of his technical career.

But those responsible for the team at Red Bull Racing are aware that Adrian Newey could leave earlier if his dissatisfaction becomes too great. This is the privilege of eccentrics; they can hardly be forced. Newey’s wife Amanda, who leads the negotiations and hypes up the contract amounts, is said to have been angry with team boss Horner for a long time. He doesn’t value her husband enough. Sometimes it is actually such personal atmospheric disturbances that cause an empire to collapse.