At Red Bull, Christian Horner and Adrian Newey forged a highly successful partnership.
From Williams to McLaren and today to Red Bull, teams may state there is “no problem” when it comes to Adrian Newey leaving, but Christian Danner says it is anything but.
In anticipation of the Miami Grand Prix, Red Bull made an official statement revealing that this would be Newey’s final complete season with the team as he plans to depart in early 2025.
‘This is the beginning of the end of Red Bull Racing’s dominance’
The renowned design expert, who has achieved an impressive record of 25 championship titles and is set to add two more this season, has decided to take a break from Red Bull’s Formula 1 team. During this period, he will dedicate his efforts to the development of the RB17 hypercar while enjoying some well-deserved time off.
But while team boss Christian Horner has downplayed Newey’s exit, adamant he leaves behind a well-oiled technical department, Helmut Marko says it is a “huge” loss for Red Bull.
Danner, a former F1 driver, shares the same opinion as the Austrian.
He went so far as to make a prediction that this marks the start of the downfall for the double World Champions.
“He informed Avd Motorsport magazine that this marks the start of the decline in Red Bull Racing’s reign.”
“I don’t mean to imply that they will definitely crash, but the departure of Adrian Newey marks the end of their dominance. Historically, whenever Adrian has left a team, they have always reassured themselves by saying: No problem!”
“He remains the individual overseeing everything and ensuring complete control over the matter.”
In the past, Red Bull emerged victorious in the previous three editions of the Drivers’ Championship, as well as the last two Constructors’ Championships. Impressively, they secured a 1-2 finish in the 2023 Drivers’ standings.
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Since Newey left in 2006, Williams has only managed to win 11 Grand Prix races, a significant decrease from the 59 victories they achieved with his car designs. Similarly, McLaren initially experienced success after Newey’s departure, but in the past ten years, they have only won two races.
Danner dismissed Horner’s assertions that Red Bull’s staff were capable of winning titles after being trained by the master himself.
Danner pointed out that building a winning car is not as simple as it may seem, stating, “If it were that easy, all the students of Adrian Newey would have already accomplished it.” He emphasized that the challenges faced in this endeavor are much more significant than many are willing to acknowledge.
Adrian always had to make an appearance at the track whenever things didn’t go well at Red Bull.
He further cautioned Red Bull that discussions about retirement or feeling exhausted would persist for a limited time, after which Newey, with his history of winning championships, would pursue new opportunities elsewhere.
“He added that a sabbatical sounds good, but then Adrian becomes extremely bored.”
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