Red Bull ‘survival’ advice delivered after Newey exit

Ex-Formula 1 driver Martin Brundle has detailed the key behind Red Bull holding onto its front-running position following the Adrian Newey era.

Red Bull confirmed earlier this week that Newey has scaled back his involvement with the F1 team ahead of his complete exit in early 2025.

Newey is widely regarded as one of the greatest car designers in F1 history and has been heavily linked with a switch to Ferrari.

Reflecting on the major story from the week, Brundle highlighted the strength that Red Bull possessed with both Newey and Max Verstappen in its arsenal.

“The word genius is used quite often and I would definitely agree with that,” he told Sky F1.

“Adrian Newey had a habit of turning up at a team and sooner than later they start winning a lot of world championships.

“He’s got a big-picture view of the aerodynamics in particular. He’s a very clever man.

“There was no doubt about it, if you were starting a Formula 1 team the top two people – or certainly on my list – would be Adrian Newey and Max Verstappen. And of course, Red Bull had both.”

Verstappen and continuity key to maintain success

Verstappen has also been linked with a move away from the team with Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff known to be pursuing the Dutchman’s signature.

With a regulation switch set to hit the grid in 2026, it marks the first time Red Bull will undergo a rule change without Newey overseeing its technical department.

Should Red Bull manage to hold onto its other senior personnel as well as Verstappen, Brundle has backed the Red Bull to maintain its competitive position in the pecking order.

“So for me, the key element is will there be a cascade of other personnel leaving the team? I’m not sure there will be,” Brundle added.

“I think there might be quite a lot of skill, engineering skills and other skill sets there thinking, ‘wow, this is our chance to prove that we can actually do this, it’s not all about Adrian Newey’.

“So I think as long as they don’t lose Max Verstappen and it’s not a house of cards with a lot of other key personnel, I think they’ll survive it.”