Formula One F1 - Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Jeddah Corniche Circuit, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - March 9, 2024 Red Bull's chief technology officer Adrian Newey with Ferrari engineers and Carlos Sainz Jr's car before the race REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed/File Photo
LONDON (Reuters) - Red Bull said Formula One's most sought after designer Adrian Newey was signed up until at least the end of next year amid reports on Thursday he was seeking to leave the reigning champions.
A spokesman added they were "unaware of him joining any other team".
The BBC reported, however, that the 65-year-old believed he could negotiate an exit to work for another team from next season.
Newey, whose cars have won 25 drivers' and constructors' championships for Williams, McLaren and Red Bull, could not be immediately reached for comment.
The BBC and Germany's Auto Motor und Sport, who were first to report the story, said the Briton had told Red Bull he wanted to move on following allegations about team principal Christian Horner.
Horner was cleared in February of alleged misconduct towards a female employee, who has lodged an appeal against the outcome.
Red Bull are currently dominant with triple world champion Max Verstappen but Newey has been a regular target for top teams.
He has been reluctant to leave England, where most of the teams are based.
Ferrari, who will have seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton joining them next season from Mercedes, and British-based Aston Martin have been named as possible future employers and have made overtures.
Hamilton joined McLaren in 2007, two years after Newey had moved to Red Bull. The designer's 2023 car was the most dominant in the sport's history with 21 wins from 22 races.
Mercedes, now struggling after a period of domination, have openly courted Verstappen as a possible replacement for Hamilton in 2025.
Red Bull are finishing their partnership with Honda at the end of next season and making their own engine with backing from Ford when the sport starts a new power unit era in 2026.
Top technical employees such as Newey are usually restricted to a period of gardening leave when they leave a team, meaning Newey's availability may not be immediate, although he could equally decide to retire.
Red Bull have been going through turmoil since before the start of the season, with Horner in the spotlight and having issues with Verstappen's father Jos and Red Bull motorsport consultant Helmut Marko.
Formula One veteran Marko and the Verstappens are close, with Max linking his future at the team to the Austrian remaining.
Newey is seen as just as much the key to Red Bull's success as Verstappen, even if the Briton is not a one-man band and has a team of highly-rated designers and aerodynamicists working with him.
Technical director Pierre Wache, in particular, has taken on a bigger role and is highly regarded, with Ferrari also known to be keen to recruit him.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Ed Osmond)
