Red Bull has been targeted by Zak Brown, the CEO of McLaren.
McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown has reiterated his belief that Adrian Newey’s exit will trigger “more dominos to fall” at Red Bull, claiming “people want to work for brands they’re proud of”.
After the first quarter of 2025, Adrian Newey’s surprising departure will mark the end of his involvement with the Milton Keynes-based squad. His final contribution to the team will be the Red Bull RB17 hypercar, making it a significant milestone in his career.
Zak Brown sees ‘a lot of issues going on’ at Red Bull
Although the team has tried to downplay the importance of Newey’s departure, it is undeniably a negative development for Red Bull to lose a Formula 1 car designer with 25 titles to his name. Furthermore, there is also the concern that he may join a rival team in the future, adding to the team’s worries. Brown predicts that more departures are likely to occur in the future.
“I think there are a lot of issues going on there,” Brown said of Red Bull when speaking to Sky F1.
“Do you agree that the least concerning aspect is probably on track? I’m just amazed by Max Verstappen and the incredible team.”
“I believe that in light of the recent events at the beginning of the year, coupled with the persistent commotion and Adrian Newey’s departure, we can anticipate a chain reaction of further developments.”
“I believe many of these sports teams heavily depend on their culture, but they currently face certain problems that may pose long-lasting challenges for them. It appears that these issues are becoming more evident.”
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Brown claimed that there has been a notable increase in the number of CVs reaching his desk, which supports his belief. He confidently stated that the recent news about Newey has caused other Red Bull employees to question their future with the team. According to Brown, individuals are inclined to work for companies that they take pride in.
Brown stated, “Our team is exceptional. Although we frequently receive CVs, we have observed an unusually high caliber.”
“I believe that the departure of someone like Adrian Newey not only results in the loss of his expertise in car design but also affects the motivation of employees to work for a brand they are proud of and alongside bosses like Adrian Newey. Given the current circumstances and Adrian Newey’s departure, it is highly likely that some people within the organization will question whether it is time for them to seek new opportunities.”
If Red Bull personnel are entertaining such thoughts, then McLaren has unquestionably become one of the most exhilarating stops on the racing grid. This is largely thanks to their talented driver, Lando Norris, who recently secured his first Formula 1 victory at the Miami Grand Prix.
McLaren has demonstrated that Red Bull can indeed be defeated, according to Brown, who now aims to secure more wins before the completion of the F1 2024 season.
When asked about McLaren’s chances of winning more races this year, Brown responded, “Certainly, I believe there is no reason why we cannot compete for victories.”
“This won’t be a walk in the park. In my opinion, Red Bull still maintains a strong pace, but in this particular race, we were in perfect sync.”
However, in the recent races, our performance has surpassed Ferrari’s. Therefore, we are in close competition with them. This indicates that they are not invincible and we are determined to defeat them, as well as any other competitors. Hopefully, we will achieve victory multiple times this year. I see no valid reason why we cannot accomplish this.
Oscar Piastri is all set to receive the fully upgraded McLaren MCL38, which was driven to victory in Miami by Norris, in the upcoming Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
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