Red Bull technical director Pierre Waché believes criticism of himself and the team throughout last year was unjustified even though it lost its grip on the F1 constructors' championship.
In the wake of Adrian Newey's decision to leave Red Bull following years of success, with the renowned designer joining Aston Martin later this year, Waché has stepped into the spotlight as head of the technical department.
The RB20 was a design departure from the all-conquering, record-breaking RB19 of the previous year, the advancement of which came under Wache's watch after Newey stepped back from his frontline technical role following the Miami Grand Prix in early May.
Despite a run of 10 grands prix without a victory for one stage for Max Verstappen, the Dutchman still went on to clinch a fourth consecutive drivers' crown.
And but for the wretched form of team-mate Sergio Perez after that race, Red Bull would arguably have retained its constructors' title, despite the pressure that was applied by Ferrari and McLaren, the latter going on to win its first team title in 26 years.
As to how he handled the criticism that came his and Red Bull's way during the campaign, speaking to RacingNews365, Waché said: "I don't follow it. It affects me enough when we don't have a good performance.
"I don't have to rely on other people to tell me I'm doing a bad job. I criticise myself enough. My family and myself criticise me.
That is fine.
"But it's hard for the team because the people worked hard, in the same way as the year before [in 2023] - I will say even harder."
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Waché feels that from the negatives, it was incumbent upon him to find the positives and draw on those.
"In my position, you have to motivate the people and make sure the criticism is taken positively," he said.
"A loss, a bad result is positive every time if you understand it. Take Monza [the Italian Grand Prix in which Verstappen and Perez finished sixth and eighth], it was a chance to develop for the future.
"Like on a Friday, it's a chance to change the setup and say, 'Oh, we have something big, bigger than we expected. How do we understand that?'
"We have to realise what it is. It's a massive chance. That is how I see it."
Waché acknowledges this year will be "a massive challenge" as the team will focus on development over the first half of the year on the RB21, whilst it has also now started on the 2026 car given the dramatic change in the power unit and chassis regulations.
The Frenchman feels he has broad enough shoulders to cope. "Depending on your character, you'd don't survive long in this business," he said.
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