When Red Bull announced Adrian Newey’s departure earlier this year, they were still the strongest team on the grid. Little did they know that their season would drastically unravel in just a matter of weeks. The Austrian stable has fallen off its perch and lost its dominance and a recent revelation suggests that it is Red Bull‘s own doing.
The RB20 is nowhere near as strong as the RB19 and it doesn’t do well on bumpy tracks with kerbs becoming Max Verstappen’s worst enemy. Plus, McLaren and Mercedes have made up ground and are now, just as fast (if not faster) than the Milton Keynes-based outfit.
Newey had suggestions for Red Bull to improve. However, since it was already reported that he was leaving, his advice wasn’t taken into consideration. Red Bull ignored and sidelined the legendary aerodynamicist (as reported by Formu1a.uno).
Newey told Red Bull that the cooling system of the RB20 was flawed and that it would require change. However, current Chief Technical Officer Pierre Wache went ahead with the existing design. This reportedly, caused the downfall.
| Red Bull ignored many of Adrian Newey’s suggestions when developing the RB20.
Pushing Newey to the side has coincided with their decline.https://t.co/xBsQuAXbCJ
— formularacers (@formularacers_) July 16, 2024
This ignorance and the fact he was taken for granted coupled with the Christian Horner drama all piled up. This is the reason the 65-year-old wanted to separate himself from the increasingly uncomfortable scenario at Red Bull.
Rumors continue to swirl regarding Newey’s future
Newey is one of the most sought-after entities in the F1 world currently. He has won Championships with all three teams he has been a part of to date, which is why there is a lot of interest in what his next team will be.
Newey, however, admits that he is looking forward to taking time away from F1 to assess his options. He isn’t hinting at retirement but wants to take his time before coming up with a decision.
As quoted by Crash.net, he said, “My passion has always been trying to add performance to cars, to race cars, so the rest is, of course, part of it, but it’s not what wakes me up and motivates me,” he added.
Newey isn’t purely motivated by money. If the Brit starts enjoying his time away from the sport too much, he might just stop. However, it’s the desire to make great cars that keeps him going.
