'The first reaction of the rest of F1 grid will be: 'Nice, Newey's gone''

"Well, it's huge, isn't it? It's seismic for so many reasons. Not only does Adrian Newey now appear to be on the market in time for the big regulation change in 2026, but he also leaves Red Bull and their Formula 1 projects with immediate effect, so it's a double-whammy for all the teams," Croft told Sky Sports.

Newey drops out

In his remaining months at the Austrian racing stable, Newey will mainly focus on the latest developments of the RB17 Hypercar. Where necessary, he will be around for a few more Grand Prix to support the team on the track. With that being the case, the engineer is no longer concerned with building the RB21 for 2025. The competition will not be sad about that.

"The work that Newey has been doing to make Red Bull such a dominant force in Formula 1, certainly over the last couple of years and in his time there with six constructors' and seven drivers' titles while he's been at Red Bull, that will now stop," the British F1 commentator continued. "So the immediate response from every other team will be, 'Good, he's gone. He's left Red Bull. It might give us a chance to catch up.' And for some, and there will be a couple of teams in the know on this one, they'll be trying to tempt Adrian Newey to come to them. "

The big question is where Newey will continue his career, and whether it will be in Formula 1. Ferrari made him an offer in the past but then got zero response. Aston Martin may also be a contender. "From what we understand, they made a very bold bid and a very sizeable sum of money to tempt Adrian to go to their factory at Silverstone and to link up with their group and CEO Martin Whitmarsh, who, of course, he was with during his McLaren days many years ago," Croft elaborates.

Consequences for Red Bull

Newey's departure is a blow to Red Bull, although according to 53-year-old Briton himself, the Austrians will not admit it. "As much as Red Bull will try and downplay that Adrian Newey is just one person and that one person does not make the final difference, in Adrian Newey's case, I think it does. And I think his record and the championships that he has won over the years, and the cars he has designed over the years that have won well over 200 Grand Prix, shows just how much of a major force he is in Formula 1 and has been for many, many years."