One of the most influential figures within the Formula 1 paddock could be on the brink of igniting a contract war.
Red Bull Chief Technical Officer Adrian Newey has constantly drawn attention from rival teams, but now one has reportedly made a “big money contract offer” to lure him away.
Aston Martin’s chief Lawrence Stroll is attempting to cash in on the ongoing Red Bull turmoil and reportedly tabled a gargantuan offer to the 65-year-old mastermind during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
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The offer, reported by autosport.com, comes after Stroll splashed the cash on new sate-of-the-art headquarters with a new wind tunnel also said to be on the way.
Newey is on course to claim his 13th constructors’ title this season in the latest feat of a legendary career that has seen him design victorious cars at Williams, McLaren and Red Bull.
Luring him away from Red Bull would be a big blow to the dominant Formula 1 outfit and could lead to even further pain.
Three-time F1 world champion Max Verstappen has found himself in the thick of the rumour mill with reports he could be set for a seat switch.
Verstappen threw a cat among the pigeons when he raised the possibility he could leave Red Bull if veteran adviser Helmut Marko was forced out of the team.
“There is a lot of talk about a deal being very close to being brokered between Max and Mercedes,” former F1 driver Johnny Herbert told news.com.au, per BetIdeas.com.
“Now if that actually materialises, is it a power play? Is it part of the pressure being put on Red Bull and Christian?
“There’s got to be a point where it’s ‘What is best for us? We cannot lose him (Verstappen)’. “He is such a big and important part of now our journey to the (F1 regulation) changes in 2026.”
Despite being contracted through until 2028, a bombshell clause in Verstappen’s contract came to light which showed the 26-year-old could leave the team if Marko is gone.
While Red Bull dominated the first two races of the 2024 season, the off-track scrutiny of team principal Christian Horner has never been more intense.
It appears increasingly possible Red Bull could lose Verstappen, Newey and Marko if they choose to keep Horner.
“If Christian is fighting this which he seems to be doing, he might force their main star out of the team,” Herbert said.
“It seems to be the wrong way of going about it. You want to keep what you’ve got. You want to keep Adrian and you want to keep Max.
“To try and arrogantly stay put, you’re going to force your main man out of the team. That just seems to be the wrong thing to do from team perspective.
“That’s the Christian side of it where he’s fighting to stay where he is. And Helmut’s in the same position.
“But it seems the pressure is more on Helmut to get pushed out of the team and Max would go with him, potentially.
“If you look at it in a logical way, do you want to lose Max? No.”
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