Newey retirement nears: 'We've obviously already talked about that'

Red Bull Racing may have the best engineer in Formula 1 with Adrian Newey as head of the technical department, but the Briton turns 64 on Boxing Day and so may already be thinking about retirement. Team boss Christian Horner says the team has already thought about what to do without Newey.

Thus, the team boss is asked if there has been any talk of Newey turning 65 next year, which means he has reached retirement age in the 'normal' world. For this scenario, Red Bull seems to be prepared. Speaking to the Australian Speedcafe TV Horner says: "We have, obviously, already discussed that a period of time. Adrian's role as chief technical officer has evolved."

What else this means for Newey's future plans at Red Bull Horner does not make clear, but the Briton's role within the company seems to be much discussed. At the moment, it seems that the collaboration is and will remain in full swing: "With Red Bull Advanced Technologies as a new branch now, the RB17 we announced earlier this year he splits his time across various projects."

Should Newey retire after next year at 65, Red Bull is not worried and the team is prepared. Indeed, Red Bull built a rock-solid team around Newey. Horner: "We have Pierre Wache as technical director and the whole technical team around him has done a fantastic job. Adrian of course still feeds into that and works closely with that group. Of course him being an encyclopaedia of knowledge, but it's great to see the strength and depth that we have technically and the way that they have delivered."