Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko believes Adrian Newey’s Formula 1 departure won’t be as keenly felt compared to his arrival in Milton Keynes over 18 years ago.
Newey announced in May that 2024 will be his last full season with Red Bull and a Tuesday announcement revealed that he will join Aston Martin next season.
The British F1 design guru brought his title-winning knowledge from stints at Williams and McLaren to Red Bull ahead of the 2006 season, one year into the team’s Grand Prix journey.
Newey has since contributed to all 13 of Red Bull’s combined titles and Marko argued this impact was greater than the one the team’s Chief Technical Officer will make by leaving.
“At that time nobody had experience how to win races and to win championships,” Marko told the F1 Inside Line podcast.
“So at that stage, a man made a difference. Nowadays, the team, we have 2000 people.
“So nowadays the team matters. It’s not one single man, that has changed.
“You have far more simulation tools, you have so much more data, that single man is not the difference anymore.
“But that was different, that was the difference when Newey came.”
Aston Martin’s technical team will hope Newey helps guide them to championship glory, as will team owner Lawrence Stroll, who is said to be drumming up £30 million a year to land the legendary designer.
Newey will join Aston’s incoming Chief Technical Officer Enrico Cardile and Technical Director Dan Fallows at Silverstone with a state-of-the-art new wind tunnel to reside over, along with a Honda works engine partnership in 2026.
Newey’s task will be to turn Aston Martin into a title contender as Red Bull looks to recapture the dominant form that has deserted it amid a troublesome RB20 machine.
Red Bull has gone winless in six rounds thanks to balance problems with its 2024 F1 challenger which star driver Max Verstappen labelled “a monster.”
Car troubles aside, Newey isn’t the only key figure to be leaving Red Bull with Sporting Director Jonathan Wheatley set to depart at the end of 2024.
Wheatley will join Sauber as Team Principal mid-way through 2025 and Marko holds no grudges against his peers seeking new opportunities.
“If certain employees want a change and receive a good offer or see a new opportunity, then they take it,” Marko told OE24.
