Newey responds to Horner's 'abandon ship' criticism

Key points

• Adrian Newey says Christian Horner did not fully understand his pain and frustration during Red Bull's Renault engine struggles.
• Horner wrote in his autobiography that Newey wanted to abandon ship at the first sign of adversity in 2014.
• Newey, now at Aston Martin, says he and Horner remain friends and he is godfather to Horner's daughter.

Adrian Newey has responded to criticism from Christian Horner in the former Red Bull team principal's new autobiography, saying Horner did not "fully understand" his "pain and frustration" during the team's difficult years with Renault engines.

The two worked together for 19 years at Red Bull, winning titles with Sebastian Vettel from 2010 to 2013 and Max Verstappen from 2021 to 2024. In his book Drive, Horner wrote that in 2014, when Newey was considering a Ferrari offer, "at the first sign of adversity, Adrian wanted to abandon ship."

Newey explains 2014 frustration

Speaking at the United States Grand Prix on Friday, Newey said he had not read the book. He explained that a chassis designer accepts a bad year from an engine manufacturer, but it is different when the manufacturer shows no intention of addressing the problem.

Newey said that situation did not change with Renault until Red Bull switched to Honda in 2019. He added that he and Horner remain friends and that he is godfather to Horner's daughter Olivia.

I don't think Christian fully understood that, perhaps.

— Adrian Newey

Parallels with Aston Martin

Newey, who left Red Bull in 2024 and joined Aston Martin the following year as team principal and managing technical partner, agreed with Horner's comparison between his current challenge and his early years at Red Bull.

He said both teams had experienced turmoil with changes of owners and senior managers, and that the task is to get everyone working together and improve the culture. Horner told Sky Sports News that Newey is "without doubt the best designer that Formula 1 has ever seen."