"Every team has a succession plan," insists Ford Performance Motorsports Director, Mark Rushbrook in reaction to Adrian Newey's departure.

Confirmation that Adrian Newey is leaving Red Bull at season end has led to two main talking points, the first being where he might be heading and the second being how his leaving will affect the Austrian team.

In terms of the second, many are gleefully rubbing their hands together in the hope that losing the design guru will put the "energy drink manufacturer" in its "rightful place".

While Zak Brown warns that Newey will be the first of many dominos to fall in Milton Keynes, the likes of Christian Horner, Helmut Marko and Max Verstappen insist 'not so'.

Also confident that Red Bull will survive is Ford which insists that its plan to partner with the Austrian team's powertrains division from 2026 remain unchanged.

"We have huge respect for Adrian in terms of his career and all the things that he has done for many different teams in F1, especially the last 19 years at Red Bull," Ford Performance Motorsports Director, Mark Rushbrook told Autosport. "We have nothing but admiration and respect for him, and we wish him the best for whatever he will do in the future.

"Our focus though fully remains on the power unit programme for 2026," he insisted. "That's unchanged after this news and that is still going ahead full throttle."

With Horner claiming that Newey first raised doubts about his future with the team in 2014, Rushbrook insists that throughout negotiations Ford was kept fully informed of developments, though the American manufacturer was not best pleased by the lack of transparency at the team whilst investigating Horner for inappropriate behaviour.

"Continuity was in the very first discussions that I had with Christian," said Rushbrook. "So, my question to him was: 'How is Red Bull going to continue to be successful in 2026 with all-new regulations?'

"Like any good company or any good racing team, you always have a succession plan, and you are always training and developing people within the organisation. That is no different in this case. I am not being disrespectful to Adrian at all because he is fantastic, but every team has a succession plan."

Indeed, as Ford prepares to return to F1 for the first time since its ill-fated endeavours with Jaguar twenty years ago, Rushbrook is adamant that in Red Bull the American giant has the perfect partner.

"To do anything great in motorsport, we as Ford find the best teams to partner with. We believe that we have found the best team in Formula 1," he said. "It is all about cooperation, understanding the situation and being committed to doing what it takes to be successful. That is continuing with both parties."

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by kenji, 13/05/2024 1:48

"@Chester...From my understanding Ford are simply engine technology partners and have no input into team management. Even their engine involvement is limited to the 'electric' aspect, at first glance. I see their involvement as a very big plus resulting from Ford's investment into R & D. The Jaguar days have very little relevance apart from the historical fact that monolithic business empires have great difficulty in running lithe and nimble F1 teams where innovation, on the run, are a prerequisite for success. As for the apparent upheaval at Red Bull since the passing of Mateschitz...this was always on the cards due to the jockeying for control. It's my contention that the whole 'employee' led distractions were in part seized upon as a vehicle to achieve a bigger prize. This issue has yet to be fully played out and the future will be interesting to observe...."

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2. Posted by Chester, 12/05/2024 19:51

"This article kind of hit me between the eyes. While not a natural Red Bull fan, I was certainly glad to see them dethrone Mercedes. But it is not only Adrian Newey that is gone, it is also Dietrich Mateschitz.

I can't help feeling that a wheel fell off and a steadying influence vanished when Dietrich passed. But what really sealed my odd feeling was the reminder that Ford last tried F1 as the Jaguar team.
On its face, if I had to invest in a team, I'd feel safer investing in Aston Martin/Honda.

Excellent article, given I'd thought I'd encounter corporate double-speak but instead came away with these odd feelings."

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Newey departure has no bearing on Red Bull partnership says Ford

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