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Red Bull team principal Christian Horner believes Aston Martin’s high-profile unveiling of Adrian Newey was “premature” as he is still under contract with the Milton Keynes team.
Since it was announced Newey would be leaving Red Bull, speculation over his next destination was rife but he ultimately ended up signing a deal to be Aston’s new technical managing partner for a reported £30 million a year, as well as becoming a shareholder.
A press conference was held at Aston’s new Silverstone base on Tuesday as Newey arrived to much fanfare.
However, he will not officially take up his new post until March 1 and Horner felt the timing of the announcement was slightly off.
“It was obviously a large announcement by Aston and Adrian has always tended to do his own thing so obviously it was a big moment for that team,” Horner said.
“They chose to celebrate it perhaps potentially slightly prematurely before he has finished his contract with Red Bull Racing but obviously it was a big moment for that team.”
Horner admitted it did not catch him by surprise to see Newey’s move to Aston confirmed and believes the 65-year-old’s experience will now be a key asset for a team looking to progress up the grid.
Adrian Newey and Lawrence Stroll, Owner, Aston Martin F1 Team, on stage
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
“It wasn’t a great surprise; I think it was becoming clearer and clearer that that was the route that he was going to go rather than into retirement or any other team so obviously it will be a new challenge for him and it will be sad to see when he leaves next year but we wish him all the best for the future,” he said.
“Adrian is obviously a very creative guy and he is not your average designer, I think he is the only person still in Formula 1 working on a drawing board, so inevitably there will be a process of having to get to know each other and how each other works and so on.
“He is unique in many respects, and I think that Aston will obviously look to draw upon his huge experience.
“I look back with great fondness to the time, the 20 years almost that we spent together, the highs and lows during that period, but look forward to the future and I think we are well positioned for that.”
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