Button: Newey's departure is 'probably a good thing'

Jenson Button’s assessment of Adrian Newey’s departure from Red Bull suggests a potential upheaval in F1 dynamics, raising questions about the impact on competition.

Adrian Newey’s move from Red Bull marks a seismic shift in the F1 world, after 18 years spent at Milton Keynes by the engineer. Jenson Button expects this departure to change the dynamics among teams on the grid faster than anticipated, given that the race car designer is seen as a crucial element of his team.

“He is the best designer in the world. His mind works differently from most of us,” says Button. “I haven’t worked with Adrian Newey in Formula 1, but I have had to race against his cars for many years and you see the intricacy of details he puts into his cars and we were astounded.”

“Even the year I won the championship with Brawn, we saw the development of the Red Bull and what Adrian Newey was capable of doing in such a short time. It’s clear he doesn’t do it alone, you need a great team of people behind the big names.”

“But it’s astonishing to see how, over the decades, he has stayed on top and has been able to develop incredible F1 cars. If he’s not happy, it’s a pity because Red Bull is in a very good position in terms of performance right now.”

“But for the sport, it’s probably a good thing that we see him elsewhere and give another team a chance. Red Bull’s public relations seem to say that he is free to work after the first few months of 2025.”

“However, this obviously hurts Red Bull and probably the atmosphere in the team too, knowing that the main person responsible for developing this wonderful car they have year after year is not happy and wants to leave. It’s undoubtedly a big story, the biggest story Formula 1 has seen in a while.”

Newey refined his Jaguar Type E to enhance it, and Button had the opportunity to drive the car. The interactions he had with the engineer impressed him: “I had the chance to drive his Jaguar Type E at the Goodwood Revival a few years ago.”

“These are classic cars, not F1 cars, but again, the level of detail he implemented is incredible. He arrived with books of information about the car and all the things he had refined, along with all the drawings he had made of the car.”

“He knew every detail and the car was exceptional. It was two and a half seconds faster than any other car. And as it is a classic car, we were very limited in what we could do. It shows that whatever he does, he will do his best and will not just go with the flow.”