Top designer Adrian Newey joined Red Bull Racing in 2006 when the team that was founded in 2005 was still very young. Newey was looking for a new challenge and got it at Red Bull, which at the time was still seen as the joke of the pit lane.
Newey sought new challenge
It is a distant memory, as Red Bull is no longer a joke. The team now has five constructors' titles under its belt and six drivers' titles held by Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen. Red Bull being on the grid from 2005 was a great opportunity for Newey, with the former McLaren engineer telling the Talking Bull podcast that it was time for a new challenge and he found it at Red Bull.
Newey said that "The idea of being involved with a team, more or less from the start, was attractive. And Christian [Horner] always walked across the paddock in exactly the opposite direction to me." The Red Bull team boss probably saw in Newey a good addition to his team, and the wishes of the two matched.
Red Bull was the party team
The Briton called his move to Red Bull a risk, because he had his ideas about inspired rich businessmen who came into F1 out of the blue: "The important thing for me was what was Red Bull. Were they going to be one of those fistbangers and dissappear, or were they in it for the long-haul. As far as I could see, Red Bull was a proper growing company, Dietrich [Mateschitz] was clearly passionate about it."
Newey concludes, "In fairness, in 2005 the team was still the joke of the pit lane. They were known as the party team [...] and nobody took it seriously. Underneath that, I clearly saw something, so I took the risk."