Marko concedes Newey impact on Red Bull performance

Red Bull advisor Dr Helmut Marko has admitted losing Adrian Newey is a "blow" for the Milton Keynes-based team, despite its emerging talent compensating his departure.

The 65-year-old announced he was leaving the reigning constructors' champions after 19 years ahead of this season's Miami Grand Prix.

In September, it was confirmed he would join Aston Martin in March next year, at the end of his Red Bull tenure.

He has essentially been directly replaced by Pierre Wache, who will form part of an ensemble team within the team's technical division.

Newey is considered one of the greatest aerodynamicists in the history of F1. After beginning life in the series with Leyton House in the 1980s, he has gone on to win titles with Williams, McLaren and Red Bull.

With 12 constructors' championships - alongside 13 drivers' crowns - he is the most decorated designer F1 has ever seen.

"He not only understands aerodynamics, but also mechanical grip and so on," Marko told Motorsport Magazin, highlighting the factors that set Newey apart from the opposition.

"He goes around the car with his notepad, talks to the driver and finds solutions. That's why Newey is definitely an exceptional expert."

"When you lose someone like that, it's a blow. We have a lot of good young people and I'm sure they can compensate for the departure. But it would be wrong to say that it has done nothing to the team."

Newey impact of Vettel legacy

Newey's near-two decades at Red Bull has been punctuated by two distinct periods of success: the Sebastian Vettel and the Max Verstappen eras.

Between 2010 and 2013, the former won his four drivers' titles whilst Mark Webber played the support role en route to four constructors' championships.

Now, Verstappen is on the edge of a fourth-consecutive triumph of his own. Even if, like 2021, Red Bull fails to win the constructors' prize this term, the input Newey has had on those potentially eight world championships cannot be understated.

It is something Marko himself zeroed in on, singling out the Vettel era to make his point.

"Newey built the car with which Sebastian Vettel became world champion," the Austrian added.

"Fair is fair, Vettel with his brilliant driving skills would not have managed that if he did not have those tools. It was Newey who made it possible for Red Bull Racing. Adrian is a universal technician."