Contrasting opinions of Helmut Marko and Christian Horner on Red Bull’s recent past. Can there be a correlation between Adrian Newey's departure and the drop in performance?.

Can there be a correlation between Adrian Newey’s departure and the drop in performance? At Red Bull, Helmut Marko and Christian Horner have opposing views, which they demonstrated in their latest statements.

Red Bull was certainly one of the dominant teams in last season’s Formula 1 championship, not just on the track but off it as well. From accusations of sexual harassment against Christian Horner to the news that surprised the entire paddock: the departure of long-time technical director Adrian Newey. Although several months have passed since the announcement of the split with Red Bull, Helmut Marko and Christian Horner have revisited the topic.

Red Bull’s season ended with third place in the Constructors’ Championship. After a promising start, the performances no longer lived up to expectations. Many attribute the performance drop of the car to Newey’s departure, the creator of the RB20.

Was the missed Constructors’ title truly due to Adrian Newey?

According to Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner, the drop in car performance is not due to Adrian Newey’s absence. Helmut Marko holds a completely different view and did not hesitate to respond. In a recent interview with Autosprint, he said: “We started well, dominating, but since Newey left, our technicians have struggled a bit to extract the maximum from the car. Even though by the end of the season things progressively went in the right direction, and we can say we are very optimistic for the future. The truth is, since Miami, the teams competing to win have become four, as McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes have joined in, one after the other.”

While Marko may have some regrets about the past, he feels confident about the future, thanks to having a driver like Max Verstappen, who has already shown the ability to go beyond the car’s limits. He later stated: “We don’t necessarily need a car that is much faster than the others. Realistically, we are moving with a big advantage, which is having the absolute number one driver in Max Verstappen. All we need is to give him a competitive car, and overall, okay… The rest, you’ll see, he’ll take care of.”