Red Bull chief Christian Horner hits out at Aston Martin's 'premature' Adrian Newey announcement
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has broken his silence on Adrian Newey's move to Aston Martin with a sly dig.
Aston Martin caused ripples in the world of Formula One after announcing the arrival of design legend Newey on Tuesday.
The British car manufacturers have signed Newey to a jaw-dropping deal worth a reported £30million a year as they look to muscle their way up to the top.
Newey had been with Red Bull since 2006 after designing championship-winning Formula One cars for Williams and McLaren while his RB19 is the most successful Formula One car in history, winning 21 out of the 22 races.
Christian Horner could not resist a cheeky jibe at Adrian Newey after departing Red Bull
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But a spat with Red Bull chief Horner eventually led to his departure earlier this year with several teams desperate for his signature, a race Aston Martin won.
Now Horner has had his say, insisting that the announcement is somewhat premature - as he is still contracted to Red Bull.
Speaking ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the 50-year-old said: “It was obviously a large announcement by Aston.
“Adrian has always tended to do his own thing. It was a big moment for that team and they chose to celebrate it.
"Perhaps potentially slightly prematurely before he’s finished his contract with Red Bull Racing.
“But obviously it was a big moment for that team.”
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On May 1, Red Bull announced that Newey would leave his role with the team but his contract does not expire until the first quarter of 2025.
Nevertheless, Aston Martin CEO Lawrence Stroll has invested heavily ahead of next year as he wants his team to rub shoulders with the best.
As well as beating the competition to Newey, Aston Martin have invested in state-of-the-art facilities with a wind tunnel while share prices have soared.
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Adrian Newey has left Red Bull for Aston Martin
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But it might take some time before they are competing with Red Bull, who have dominated F1 over the past two years with Max Verstappen at the wheel.
“It wasn’t a great surprise. It was becoming clearer and clearer that was the route he was going to go rather than into retirement or any other team," Horner added.
“Obviously it will be a new challenge for him and we’ll be sad when he leaves next year.
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"But we wish him all the best for the future and look back with great fondness the 20 years almost that we spent together and the highs and lows during that period.
“We look forward to the future and we’re well positioned for that.
“Adrian is a very creative guy. He’s not your average designer. I think he’s the only person in F1 still working on a drawing board.
“Inevitably there will be a process of getting to know each other, how each other work and so on. But he is unique in many respects. Aston will look to draw upon his huge experience."