MIAMI — The drivers weren’t the stars of Thursday’s media session at the F1 Miami Grand Prix.
It was an engineer.
It was announced earlier this week that F1’s greatest designer ever, Adrian Newey, would be leaving Red Bull in early 2025, and Newey’s name was frequently mentioned around the paddock on Thursday. A number of drivers addressed the Newey news in media sessions, including former Red Bull drivers Alexander Albon, Pierre Gasly and Daniel Ricciardo.
“So obviously we don’t really know where he’s going to go or what he’s going to do, but obviously his time there was great,” Ricciardo told the media below. SB Nation. “And it was a pleasure to work with him. [I was] I had the opportunity to drive a few of his race cars.
“Even my dad, when I saw him with Red Bull, [my dad’s] I was like, “Oh, I get to work with Adrian.” That was exciting for him too.
“We’ll see what he does, but of course I wish him the best.”
Gasly also shared fond memories of working with Newey at Red Bull.
“I’ll tell you what: Gasly is a very talented, most successful engineer in the history of our sport, and he has a very, very special approach,” Gasly told the following media outlets: . SB Nation. “I still remember going to Milton Keynes and I loved drawing all kinds of things on this board. And I thought:[i]Is that how F1 cars are drawn these days?
“And it was very memorable, in fact probably my best memory.” [then]like working with and learning from such a special person.
“I had a very good relationship with him. [him], a very humble person, down-to-earth and straightforward in performance. And obviously his knowledge and the way he approached F1 was very efficient, but there were also a lot of good memories,” continued Gasly. “I always thought it was so cool to just walk in his office and see the kind of things that were on his desk and on his board. It was so unique.”
Albon also shared his memories of working with Newey at Red Bull.
“He was very keen on driving,” Albon told the media. SB Nation. “He really wanted to know what it felt like. In a way, I think he still understood that the car needed to be set up a certain way to get the most out of it.
“Yes, I was very, very impressed.”
Albon also said he appreciated Newey asking questions about the car after the race.
He always came to me after Sunday if it was something he felt was important,” said the Williams driver. “And I would like my opinion on that, which is, it’s nice to have that kind of relationship with someone.”
In the end, perhaps Guthrie best described Newey.
“He is a unique genius.”
Now the F1 world is wondering where this unique genius will take his talents next.
