After what felt like months of rumors that Red Bull's legendary aerodynamics man, Adrian Newey, would be leaving the team, the Austrian outfit finally confirmed it to be true. And though further rumors have him tied to Formula 1's other race team, i.e. Aston Martin and Ferrari, I think there's a better use of Newey's talents: MotoGP.
Specifically, I think he should head on over to Honda.
Yeah, that's a bold statement, and the two disciplines are wildly different in their execution and footprint. Formula 1 is the big show, though Liberty Media's recent purchase of MotoGP could elevate the series further. I also think Honda probably doesn't have the budget for someone of Newey's caliber compared to the likes of Ferrari or Billionaire Papa Stroll over at Aston Martin. Hell, Honda might have less cash than Haas.
But I think that in a world of snakes and thieves, i.e. Formula 1, MotoGP might be a nice change of pace for the designer. Plus, after all the years he's spent making Red Bull's cars so damn dominant, there's an aspect of Newey that may feel unsatiated by going to a rival F1 team. I mean, there's a reason why both Aston Martin and Red Bull let him have free reign over their hypercar projects.
The man loves to see what's technically possible and playing with bleeding-edge tech. Yet, he's been there, done that, bought that t-shirt. And he will have brought two wild hypercars to fruition, plus given Red Bull so many championships while his cars have dominated an era of Formula 1 so much so that it will go down in history as one of the greatest ever.
But why not try something different? MotoGP is the bleeding -edge of what's possible with a motorcycle, and this would be something new, something interesting, something novel that I think based on Newey's track record, statements, and personality gleaned from interviews and the like, would be right up his street.
Honda, specifically, could be a particularly fascinating case study for the engineer, as the team's not doing as hot as it once was. Newey's expertise could revitalize the team, showcasing his aerodynamic prowess, and just add another notch to his belt, solidifying himself as one of the greatest engineers and designers of all time with the likes of Gordon Murray or Honda's own Soichiro Honda.
Further, Red Bull uses Honda engines. So it wouldn't be hard for the team to make that in-road through their partnership.
But listen, this is all the willful fantasy of someone reading the latest Formula 1 news about Newey and thinking up insane ideas. There's no evidence of the designer and engineer heading to a completely different race series, let alone MotoGP. But...while the vast majority of the rumors of Newey's next move point to Ferrari, there are rumors he could just retire, too. And this is where I think there's potential as...
Maybe he won't like retirement? Maybe he'll get bored and pick up a hobby? Maybe that'll be motorcycles? Maybe he'll get so into it and Honda's woes will continue and they'll form a partnership that brings him to MotoGP?
Stranger things have happened, people.
