1996 Formula 1 World Champion Damon Hill has indicated that a return to McLaren could be the most suitable next career move for Red Bull designer Adrian Newey.
According to several reports, Newey has opted to end his extensive involvement with Red Bull as the team’s Chief Technical Officer since 2006 with immediate effect.
Last month it was written that Aston Martin had presented an enticing financial package to Newey, while he has also been linked with a sensational switch to Ferrari.
However, Hill thinks reviving the partnership with McLaren, where Newey worked between 1997 and 2006, would be a worthwhile prospect the Briton should entertain.
“I just wonder, what would happen if Adrian was looking around and was thinking about McLaren as a team to go to,” Hill said on Sky Sports F1.
“They’ve already shown that they’re going in the right direction, they’re definitely a team on the make.”
Newey designed the McLaren MP4/13 car that won both championships in 1998 and the MP4/14 that Mika Hakkinen retained the Drivers’ title with the next season.
But McLaren couldn’t replicate that success from the turn of the millennium amid Ferrari’s dominance, as Newey became disenchanted with its regimented structure.
However, Ron Dennis has long since departed, and McLaren has recovered from a period in the wilderness to emerge as a competitive outfit in the sport once again.
The Woking-based squad’s remarkable turnaround has been indebted to Team Principal Andrea Stella, who CEO Zak Brown appointed to the helm in December 2022.
Despite the team struggling to even score points in the nascent races of Stella’s tenure, McLaren’s mid-season upgrades propelled it into a position to land podiums.
McLaren has continued that momentum into the current campaign, with Lando Norris adding to his podium total with visits to the rostrum in both Australia and China.
