Newey suspects Horner didn't understand his frustration

Adrian Newey suspects Christian Horner did not fully understand his pain and frustration during Red Bull's fallow years with Renault engines after criticism in the former team principal's new book.

“I stood behind him and believed that he stood behind me as well. But at the first sign of adversity, Adrian wanted to abandon ship. I felt very sad about that.”

Red Bull's 2014 engine struggles

Red Bull initially used Renault engines but struggled with the new turbo-hybrid regulations that compromised their Newey-designed car performance.

Horner's book criticism

Horner wrote in his autobiography Drive that Newey received a Ferrari offer in 2014 and considered leaving but ultimately stayed with Red Bull.

“I stood behind him and believed that he stood behind me as well. But at the first sign of adversity, Adrian wanted to abandon ship. I felt very sad about that.”

Newey's response

Newey said 2014 was a bad year for Renault as a PU manufacturer and that the situation didn't improve until Red Bull switched to Honda in 2019.

Newey's current role

Newey stayed at Red Bull for a decade before leaving in 2024 to join Aston Martin as team principal and managing technical partner.

Newey's Aston Martin parallels

Newey agreed with Horner that there are parallels between his early Red Bull days and his current Aston Martin leadership challenges.