Adrian Newey, the man whose design skills created the Red Bull car that carried Sebastian Vettel to four successive world titles, has signed a new multi-year contract.
Following an announcement made on Sunday ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix, Red Bull team chief Christian Horner confirmed Newey will not be free to leave and join rivals Ferrari – but will work on a broader portfolio of projects for Red Bull.
“It is great that we have come to an agreement that he will continue to advise and mentor the team going forward,” said Horner.
“There are some exciting new projects that will be announced in due course.
“He is still very much involved with the F1 team and we will have a further clarification later in the summer.”
Newey was the technical architect of the Red Bull domination from 2010-2013, but is understood to be frustrated at the way in which the new 2014 regulations for the turbo era have limited him.
Ferrari were reported to have offered Newey a salary of more than 25 million euros to join them and lead their bid to overhaul championship leading Mercedes.
“I think Adrian has reached a stage where he is keen to take on some additional challenges as well,” Horner said.
“It is great news for the team and Red Bull that we have a multi-year agreement and it is exciting also for Adrian.
“He has always enjoyed the environment of Red Bull and he enjoys working with the people so it was a pretty straightforward discussion in the end.”
Newey has hankered for a wider design brief that may take in racing boats, airborne vehicles and other high-speed machinery for several years and this fits in with Red Bull’s broad spread of sporting interests.
His role in the F1 team will change. He is expected to step back from a day to day involvement and become an advisor for other projects.
“We have tremendous strength in depth and it is not like he will not be about any more – so it is great for the team and for Red Bull and exciting for Adrian as well,” Horner added.