Hamilton fears Newey knowledge has been passed on: 'Project will continue'

Lewis Hamilton is well aware of how Adrian Newey's work can continue to be felt following his departure from a team. The British driver had first-hand experience of that in 2007 and 2008 when racing for McLaren. Reacting to the news of Newey's Red Bull departure, Hamilton insists that the Austrian team will not simply slow down without their key designer.

On Wednesday, Red Bull ended speculation by announcing Newey will leave the team in the first quarter of 2025. Max Verstappen has won every World Championship since 2021 and seemingly has one hand on the trophies in 2024 and 2025 if he remains a Red Bull driver. Hamilton knows Red Bull will still be tough to beat without Newey at the helm.

Why Red Bull will still be tough to beat

Newey left McLaren shortly before Hamilton arrived in 2007. Hamilton missed out on the title by one point in his debut year, only to win it 12 months later. "When I joined McLaren, I think it was an evolution of his car. That car had evolved from a concept that he had worked on. So I felt privileged that I'd had the chance to touch something that he had worked on," Hamilton said ahead of the 2024 Miami Grand Prix.

Hamilton won't be expecting the gap to suddenly close with Red Bull: "We just need to remember that there's a lot of people in the background and there is not one key person. It's not one person. It's a whole team of people who do the job. So you can imagine, of all the amazing experiences that he brings to the team, the people that he works with will continue to do an amazing job. I don't anticipate Red Bull not continuing to build great cars moving forward."

Hamilton will move to Ferrari when the 2024 Formula 1 season concludes. Newey's future is yet to be decided, but he has been linked with a move to the Italian team. Newey has indicated his interest in the Ferrari brand and wants to work with the top drivers like Hamilton and Fernando Alonso.