Red Bull have rewarded long-serving technical chief Adrian Newey with a new contract, according to a report.
Motorsport.com reported on Monday that Newey, who joined Red Bull in early 2006, has committed his future to the team. His previous contract was due to expire at the end of this season, sparking speculation in the paddock that rivals might try to tempt the legendary designer to make a move.
Ferrari were heavily linked with a move for Newey, but the chances of that move happening any time soon are now nil. While a Red Bull spokesperson was "not in a position to talk about contracts", they told Mirror Sport : "Adrian will be with us for a long while."
Newey will continue as chief technical officer of the team. He established himself as one of the best Formula 1 car designers around with his previous work at Williams and McLaren, before moving to play a key role in Red Bull's rise to become one of the top teams on the grid.
Aged 64, and since suffering head injuries while cycling with his wife on holiday in Croatia, Newey no longer has as much influence on the design of the Red Bull cars as was once the case. Other have stepped up to take more responsibility on that front, including technical director Pierre Wache, chief engineers Rob Marshall and Paul Monaghan, and aero chief Enrico Balbo.
Speaking to Motorsport.com, team principal Christian Horner said: "Adrian has been such a fundamental part since almost the beginning. He covers a lot of a lot of areas and, to have the depth of his experience and knowledge to draw upon, and the way he works with the young guys, it's great.
"He's just as motivated as he always been. Obviously, he has a great interest in what's going on in Powertrains, and Red Bull Advanced Technology as well. So, he covers the three pillars of the campus in Milton Keynes.
"I think Pierre on the chassis side does a great job. We have got Ben Hodgkinson on Powertrains doing a fantastic job and Rob Gray on the Advanced Technology side.
"It's a people business, and that enables him [Newey] to apply his expertise. He doesn't have to be there every single day on one particular topic. We're able to use the breadth of his experience across the group."
