F1: Newey no longer in F1 full-time

(GMM) Adrian Newey is no longer working on Formula 1 every single day, Red Bull’s Christian Horner admits.

Earlier, the 64-year-old – widely regarded as among the greatest designers in the sport’s history – was credited for using his knowledge of F1’s past ground effect era to ace the new 2022 regulations.

But it has been apparent for some time that Newey is in fact no longer 100 percent focused on F1. Indeed, the team’s actual technical director is Pierre Wache.

Pierre Wache, Chief Engineer of Performance Engineering at Red Bull Racing looks on from the pitwall during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Australia at Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit on April 09, 2022 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool

Newey, on the other hand, has the unique title of chief technical officer.

“Over the past few years, Adrian has moved away from day-to-day work in Formula 1,” admits Red Bull team boss Horner.

“He now divides his time between cutting-edge technology and the championship. I believe we have the strongest technical staff we’ve ever had and that allowed Adrian to leave and take over the Valkyrie (supercar) project.

“We still work with Adrian obviously,” Horner told Auto Motor und Sport, “but not every day. I think 50 percent of his time is devoted to Formula 1.

“He’s in the office a couple of days a week. But when his help is needed, the technical team can always bring him in.”