Ever since Red Bull announced that Adrian Newey would depart the team after the first quarter of 2025, the team has struggled massively. As a result, several fans and experts started discussing whether the news of the Briton’s departure had anything to do with the team’s downfall. Addressing the same, Helmut Marko claimed Newey’s departure has nothing to do with Red Bull’s recent struggles.
Writing for SpeedWeek, Marko addressed several pressing issues about the ongoing situation within Red Bull. Among the topics, the Austrian also touched on Newey’s departure and its relevance to the Red Bull dip.
Revealing that the car design genius hadn’t worked on the RB20 since spring, the 81-year-old dismissed all theories about there being a link between the two elements. Marko wrote,
“The opinion is circulating among fans that our relapse has something to do with the departure of Adrian Newey. But that’s not true. Because Newey was no longer involved in all the details of the vehicle development in the spring“.
With the team having turned a dominant car into an unpredictable one, Marko tried explaining the issue with the RB20 as best he could. He wrote that the vehicle has become sensitive to even the smallest of changes, and that has become their biggest concern.
Even the slightest temperature change, a different tire compound, or fluctuating levels of fuel onboard have resulted in the RB20 losing its balance. And it is not just Marko who believes that the news about Newey’s departure has nothing to do with Red Bull’s recent struggles.
Max Verstappen also gave a similar assessment
With Verstappen being one of the biggest victims of Red Bull’s recent downfall, the Dutchman encountered questions over whether Newey’s exit from the team had a role to play. Dismissing the possibility, the 26-year-old claimed that it was highly unlikely that someone’s departure could have such an instant impact.
“It should not be the case that someone leaves and that the performance is immediately lower since the car is still the same. Normally that is not possible,” he explained.
Asked whether Newey’s departure is a reason for Red Bull’s struggle, Max Verstappen says: “Normally not. Since the announcement that he is leaving, things have of course become more difficult.”
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Both Sergio Perez and Verstappen have previously revealed that Newey’s role wasn’t only about designing the car. The 65-year-old also played a part in the team’s strategic decisions.
Thus, it is no surprise that Newey’s absence is a significant blow to Red Bull. However, it still seems unlikely that Red Bull would have such a sudden dip in form.
