Amid the high-speed drama of Formula 1, Amanda Newey, the wife of renowned designer Adrian Newey, felt compelled to address swirling rumors suggesting her husband had a role in blocking Yuki Tsunoda’s path to Red Bull Racing. Helmut Marko, a senior advisor at Red Bull, hinted at past tensions between Tsunoda and Adrian Newey—an account Amanda is keen to rectify.
Last year, at the Mexico Grand Prix, Tsunoda’s performance was under scrutiny due to inconsistencies, including a now-infamous incident where he collided with Pierre Gasly’s car, affecting Max Verstappen’s race. This incident reportedly left Adrian Newey displeased, marking Tsunoda as a problematic figure in his eyes.
Helmut Marko shared that while initially, Liam Lawson seemed a promising addition to Red Bull, delivering under pressure, the decision was reconsidered in favor of Tsunoda due to his consistent improvement and efforts to shed his error-prone image.
Amanda Newey, however, refutes any implication of Adrian’s involvement in these team decisions for the 2025 season. In a recent message, she pointed out, with a hint of humor and an eye-roll emoji, that Adrian was on ‘garden leave’ and thus detached from the team’s operations during this critical period.
Adrian Newey announced his departure from Red Bull in early 2024, stepping back to focus on the RB17 hypercar and only minimally involving himself in Formula 1 afterward. By September, he officially transitioned away from Red Bull, evidenced by confirmations from Eddie Jordan on the ‘Formula For Success’ podcast about Newey’s contractual gardening leave, which dictated his absence from team activities.
Therefore, Amanda insists, Adrian had no influence over the happenings of the 2025 season’s driver line-up, as he was already moving towards new ventures with Aston Martin, starting his new role in March 2025.
Amanda Newey’s clarification draws a clear line, affirming that Adrian’s professional detachment from Red Bull meant he played no part in decisions impacting Yuki Tsunoda’s career path with the team. As the season unfolds, the focus remains on Tsunoda’s performance and the dynamic within Red Bull Racing’s driver line-up.
