Adrian Newey, widely regarded as one of the greatest Formula 1 designers of all time, has stepped down from the RedBull team.

Adrian Newey, a step back in RedBull’s champion team

The Briton at the age of 64 is one of the most important figures in the Great Circus. For a long time, he has competed with big names such as Williams (1991-1996), McLaren (1997-2005) and RedBull (2006-present).

After decades of competing in Formula 1 at a high level, Newey felt the need to take a step back. The information was confirmed by Christian Horner, the head of RedBull.

Newey played a very important role in RedBull’s best periods: the dominance of Sebastian Vettel (four world titles) and the current Max Verstappen (the last two F1 titles).

Adrian Newey is currently competing in the America’s Cup Sailing with Sir Ben Ainslie (a four-time Olympic gold medalist).

While some F1 pundits said the Austrian team would be significantly weakened following Newey’s exit, Horner insists RedBull is stronger than ever.

“In recent years, Adrian took small steps back day by day. He divides his time between RedBull Advanced Technology and Formula 1.

But the technical team really stepped up under the leadership of Pierre Vache, Enrico Balbo, Ben Waterhouse and Craig Skinner.

I firmly believe that this is the strongest team we have ever had and it has allowed Adrian to take a step back.

Of course, Newey is here with us, participating in Formula 1, but not in the same way as in the past. He is in the office several days a week. When his knowledge is needed, he is always present” – Christian Hornerhead of RedBull, quoted by formula1news.co.uk.

The Austrian team will be hoping that Newey’s latest creation (the 2023 RB19 single-seater) will be as strong as it has been in the last two seasons and once again triumph in the battle with Mercedes and Scuderia Ferrari.

What the Formula 1 grid looks like in the 2023 season

Alfa Romeo F1 Team (engine – Ferrari) – Drivers: Zhou Guanyu, Valtteri Bottas Scuderia

AlphaTauri (Honda) – Nick de Vries, Yuki Tsunoda

Alpine (Renault) – Pierre Gasly, Esteban Ocon

Aston Martin (Mercedes) – Fernando Alonso, Lance Stroll

Scuderia Ferrari (Ferrari) – Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz Jr.

Haas (Ferrari) – Kevin Magnussen, Nico Hulkenberg

McLaren (Mercedes) – Lando Norris, Oscar Piastre

Mercedes (Mercedes) – Lewis Hamilton, George Russell

Red Bull (Honda) – Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez

Williams (Mercedes) – Logan Sargent, Alexander Albon.

The 2023 Formula 1 season will begin with the Bahrain Grand Prix on March 5. Next comes the Grand Prix in Saudi Arabia (Jeddah – March 19) and Australia (Albert Park – April 2).