A 55-year-old multi-millionaire who has achieved everything there is to achieve, revolutionised their chosen field and often spoken of the desire to pursue other professional avenues steps back from what has made them famous. Should we be surprised?
In the case of Adrian Newey, no. The announcement of his move into what amounts to Formula 1 semi-retirement in June was something he had been talking about, on and off, for years.
But Newey has become so inextricably linked with F1 that the idea of him sidestepping into what amounts to a part-time role with the Red Bull team at the end of the season feels like the end of an era.