Newey to Williams or out of F1

UPDATE #3 McLaren's Adrian Newey will either take a break or retire from Formula One at the end of 2005. That is the logical deduction of the highly lauded technical director and designer's six-month contract extension, reported in Autosport. Newey's existing deal was set to expire mid-year.

Despite earlier speculation of a return to Williams, Newey's actual destination is a well earned sabbatical, such as designing an America's Cup yacht or simply racing in historic car events. ''He said he's going to … find his life again,'' Frank Williams answered when asked about negotiations with Adrian.

To ensure continuity, McLaren reportedly requested that Newey start work on the MP4-21 and then hand over to a successor. ''I want to have a better quality of life,'' Autosport magazine quoted Newey as saying.

01/25/05 As reported last week, rumor is rife that lauded designer Adrian Newey will likely return to Frank Williams' F1 team in July 2005. McLaren's 'F1 CEO' Martin Whitmarsh denied they would lose the Briton to a rival squad. He admitted: ''But (Adrian) might want … to pursue other things.'' Should Newey leave, or just take a well-earned sabbatical – perhaps to design an America's Cup yacht – Whitmarsh insisted that Woking-based McLaren have a 'strong engineering team' to succeed him. 01/19/05 Adrian Newey, the most sought-after design brain in the business, will likely leave McLaren and rejoin Frank Williams' Formula One squad in July, we can reveal. Neither team would comment on the rumor, but last year the Brit declined to confirm whether he'd still be under Ron Dennis' Woking-based wing beyond a set-to-expire contract. ''You do find yourself looking for a new stimulus,'' he admitted in 2004, ''or worrying about where the next (design) idea is going to come from.'' Newey worked for Williams from 1990 to 1996 and, despite speculation of needing a break, his return to Grove could convince 30 per cent co-owner and former technical director Patrick Head, 58, to sell the stake and retire. 12/29/04 McLaren technical director Adrian Newey is being linked increasingly strongly with a move away from the team in 2005. Newey’s McLaren contract expires in July and sources have suggested he may be intending to leave F1 altogether, possibly for a role designing racing yachts, a passion of his. Newey came close to leaving McLaren in 2001 for Jaguar Racing but McLaren boss Ron Dennis convinced him to stay on. Autosport Magazine

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