Reports that Adrian Newey has inked a new contract with Red Bull have now been confirmed by the energy drink-owned outfit’s top official Dr Helmut Marko.
British specialist publications and other outlets on Tuesday claimed 64-year-old Newey, undoubtedly one of the most famous and successful Formula 1 designers of all time, had inked a new deal to remain beyond 2023.
Marko admits the reports are true.
"The extension of the contract with Adrian Newey shows that we are continuing to build on continuity and that we have an extremely pleasant working atmosphere," the 80-year-old told Sport1.
"Adrian has been with us for 17 years and although it is not a lifetime contract, he has always had and will continue to get attractive offers from the competition.
"But I hope and expect that he will retire with us," Marko added.
Newey’s official title is chief technical officer, with the team not hiding the fact that the Briton "stepped back from day-to-day racing matters" at the dawning of the hybrid era around 2014.
However, Red Bull insists that he "returned to full-time racing activity" in 2019, with Max Verstappen winning the titles in 2021 and 2022 and currently leading this season.
"With a new era of F1 competition in its infancy and with opportunities still to exploit, Adrian remains at the heart of Red Bull Racing’s operation and as such more wins and title challenges are sure to come," the team said.