Max Verstappen is happy Red Bull has extended its contract with Adrian Newey despite himself being locked into a long-term deal.
During the week, it was confirmed by Red Bull motorsport advisor Dr Helmut Marko that a new deal had been struck with the team’s design guru.
“The contract extension with Adrian Newey shows that we continue to build on continuity and that there is an extremely pleasant working atmosphere here,” Marko told Auto Bild.
“Adrian has been with us for 17 years, and although it’s not a lifetime contract, he has always had and will continue to get attractive offers from the competition.
“I hope and am sure that he will retire with us.”
World championship leader Verstappen positively received Newey’s signing.
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“I’m very happy, of course, that Adrian stays,” the Dutchman said.
“But that goes for everyone in the team. I mean, when you’re doing really well, you want to try and keep that whole group together.
“That’s, of course, also the target for the team for the future.”
Red Bull typically does not comment on contractual matters, so the precise term of the new deal is unclear.
However, at 64, his assertion about retiring with the team he joined in 2006 is reasonable.
Newey’s Formula 1 career started with Fittipaldi in 1980 under Harvey Postlethwaite before joining March, where he worked in IndyCar and sportscars.
He worked with the Haas Lola F1 team for a spell before finding his way into March’s F1 operation in the late 1980s – a role he was fired from.
After that, he joined Williams in 1991 where he enjoyed strong success, winning the world championship in 1992, 1993, 1994, and 1996.
Though he left for 1997, he had significant input into the car, which Jacques Villeneuve drove to the title that year.
Two more drivers’ titles and a constructors’ crown followed at McLaren before he led Red Bull to both titles for four years on the bounce from 2010.
Max Verstappen delivered Newey’s most recent successes with the back-to-back drivers’ crowns and was helped by Sergio Perez to take the teams’ title in 2022.
To date, he’s won 11 constructors’ championships, 12 drivers’ championships, two IndyCar titles, while his cars have won the Indianapolis 500 on two occasions.
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