Horner: Newey bigger than Schumacher

"It's a massive recruitment for us," team boss Christian Horner told Reuters after confirming the 46-year-old was joining from McLaren.

"Given the choice of Adrian Newey or Michael Schumacher, I'd go for Adrian every time," he added. "It's of that kind of magnitude.

"I think that it sends out exactly the right message in that we are totally serious about what we want to do and what we want to achieve."

Newey-designed cars won a string of Championships in the 1990s with Williams and McLaren and he is widely considered the sport's leading aerodynamicist.

Schumacher is the most successful driver in the history of Formula One, with seven Championships and 84 race wins since his debut in 1991. The German has said he intends to see out his career at Ferrari.

Horner, who has just completed his first season in charge of the team after Austrian energy drink billionaire Dietrich Mateschitz bought Jaguar from Ford a year ago and renamed it, said he had been talking to Newey for some time.

"Adrian and I have spoken on and off throughout the season, generally more than anything else, and it has really accelerated since the last race," he said.

"He was keen to take on a new challenge and I'm delighted that we managed to get him to join us."

Free Agent

Newey attempted to join Jaguar Racing in 2001, when American Bobby Rahal was in charge, but swiftly changed his mind and remained at McLaren.

Horner said the fact that he was now joining Jaguar's successor was "a complete coincidence and somewhat ironic". The deal, he added, was absolutely sound this time.

"Adrian is comfortable with his decision. I am not familiar with the full detail of what happened last time around but he has informed McLaren and he is a free agent as of the end of January," said Horner.

Despite the amount Mateschitz is spending on Formula One, having formally taken over the struggling Minardi team also this month and renamed it Squadra Toro Rosso, Horner said Newey had not been lured by money.

"Adrian's motivation wasn't money or fiscal," said Horner. "His motivation was to take on a new challenge within a smaller team environment.

"I have a decent relationship with him and I think he sees the aspirations of the team and Red Bull and it feels right.

"The size of the challenge ahead is not to be underestimated but it's one that I'm sure he's going to throw himself fully into," said Horner.

Red Bull finished last season in seventh place but have Ferrari engines next year and are aiming for a significant improvement.

Horner said Newey would want to get to grips with the technical group at Red Bull, whose second Bedford wind tunnel becomes operational on December 1, before focusing on the design of the 2007 car.

"With the key appointments made in the last nine months we now have a very strong technical group," he said. "It makes us competitive with almost any of the rival technical groups in Formula One.

"We need to make a step forward next year. That progression has to be focused on getting into the top six in the constructors', ideally the top five.

"Then in 2007...the real dividend and impact of Adrian's appointment will start to be seen," said Horner.