Adrian Newey’s lawyers are in an effort to negotiate terms with Red Bull that would allow the mastermind engineer to work for a Formula 1 rival as early 2025, according to reports.
Newey may even opt to depart F1 entirely and embark on a new project elsewhere, with expertise in sailing and hypercar design too.
High level sources close to the BBC now believe that Newey's lawyers are working on mitigating the effects of a supposed ‘non-complete’ clause in his contract, which could prevent him from working for another team until 2027.
It's understood that, despite his contract currently running until the end of 2025 with Red Bull, there is a chance that he could be released from that deal as early as the end of this season, although a period of gardening leave may ensue.
It is also believed that Ferrari are ‘hot favourites’ to secure his signature in the future, with a special ‘super consultant’ role rumoured to be on the cards, which could allow him to work for the Scuderia without relocating to Italy.