Hills suggests McLaren return as next F1 step for Newey – Motorsport Week

1996 Formula 1 World Champion Damon Hill has hinted that a return to McLaren could be the next best step for Red Bull designer Adrian Newey.

According to several reports, Newey has decided 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 attractive financial package to Newey, while he has also been linked with a switch to Ferrari.

However, Hill thinks reviving the partnership with McLaren, where Newey worked between 1997 and 2006, would be a worthwhile prospect that the Briton should entertain.

“I just wonder, what would have happened if Adrian had looked around and thought about McLaren as the team to go to,” Hill said on Sky Sports F1.

“They have already shown that they are going in the right direction, they are definitely a team that is preparing.”

Newey designed the McLaren MP4/13 which won the overall championship in 1998 and the MP4/14 with which Mika Hakkinen retained the Drivers’ title the following season.

But McLaren was unable to replicate that success from the turn of the millennium amid Ferrari’s dominance, as Newey was disgusted by his planned design.

However, Ron Dennis is long gone, and McLaren has recovered from a period in the wilderness to emerge as a competitive outfit in the sport once again.

The dramatic turnaround of the home-based squad is owed to Team Principal Andrea Stella, who CEO Zak Brown appointed to take the helm in December 2022.

Despite the team struggling to even score points in Stella’s fledgling tenure, McLaren’s mid-season improvements pushed it into position for a podium finish.

McLaren has continued that momentum in the current campaign, with Lando Norris adding to his podium total with podium visits in Australia and China.