The influence of Adrian Newey's departure from Red Bull has been debated as the team's dominance wanes. Max Verstappen managed to overcome a mid-season slump to win his fourth Formula 1 championship in a row at the Las Vegas F1 Grand Prix.
But that title was under threat when the RB20's competitiveness waned after McLaren introduced a game-changing development at Miami.
Jenson Button, 2009 F1 World Champion, told Sky Sports that if Newey had still been involved in the day-to-day development of Red Bull, he would have been able to nip the decline in the bud.
“That’s for sure. It’s not all about Adrian, the way they build these cars”Button explained. “But he was very good at details. That’s what they lost with Adrian’s departure.”
“He could step back and they would do most of the aerodynamics and then he would point out certain things and say 'this needs to be a little better'. That’s what they’re missing.”
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The legendary car designer announced he would be leaving Red Bull earlier this season and has since signed for Aston Martin, who he will officially join in March 2025.
Newey and Jonathan Wheatley are two high-profile departures from a team that has struggled mightily internally this year. Yet their star driver Verstappen still did his job on the track.
“It’s more of a normal way to win a championship”said Button, who himself knows well the situation of having to manage a championship with a lead accumulated at the start of the season. “Last year was extreme and will go down in history. In Bahrain [en début d’année]they were half a second faster than everyone else and we thought it would be a walk in the park. This was the case for a few races.”
“Off the track, the team fractured. Newey's departure is a major event. Will this have an impact on the current year? I don't think so. But it was a spiral. Watching Max on the track, he seemed calm about getting as many points as possible in each race. He wasn't stressed about not having the fastest car. He got it into his head that he wouldn't win any more races. [en 2024] and that you just had to do your best.”
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