Three-time Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen has spoken about Red Bull’s dealing of legendary designer Adrian Newey’s desire to leave the team.
Newey was the subject of media speculation for months, before it was finally announced by the world champions that he would leave the team at the start of 2025, ending almost two decades of association that has yielded 13 world championships.
BBC Sport revealed that the decision of the design guru to leave the Milton Keynes outfit was partially down to him being ‘uncomfortable’ in his role as chief technical officer due to the ongoing saga surrounding Christian Horner.
Helmut Marko also suggested recently that Newey’s departure had been in the pipeline for some time, despite his contract supposedly due to run until the end of 2025.
Newey was believed to have a long period of gardening leave written into his contract, preventing him from working with another team for a significant period of time, although that has been negotiated down in a move that flabbergasted Sky F1 pundit Ted Kravitz.
Now, the team’s star driver Verstappen has suggested that had they have kept that period of gardening leave in the contract of the 65-year-old designer, it would have been ‘unfair’.
“I am not surprised because we respect him a lot, and we will always be very thankful what he has done for the team over all these years,” Verstappen told media during the Miami Grand Prix weekend.
“I am not talking for Christian [Horner] or whatever, because I know he has to discuss that with Christian, about how the release terms and stuff are done, but I am not surprised because in a way it would be also a little bit unfair to put him on gardening leave for a long time, just thinking back on what he has done for the team.
“There is this mutual respect between the two parties.”