Ralf Schumacher has often made strong statements, but this time he pointed directly at Red Bull with words that leave little room for interpretation. According to him, the Milton Keynes team is going through a very difficult phase. Introducing updates here and there is not enough; a true internal restructuring is needed, one that involves new ideas, changes to key personnel, and a long-term vision. Schumacher stated that the current car simply “is not up to standard.”
Is it all Newey’s fault?
One of Schumacher’s sharpest criticisms concerns the role of Adrian Newey, the former technical director of Red Bull, and how his absence has affected the team. Schumacher claims that Newey’s replacement, Pierre Waché, is unable to fill the void left by Newey’s design talent. According to him, the new ideas and concepts are missing something, particularly because the team struggles to turn updates into concrete on-track advantages.
Red Bull and Racing Bulls line-up changes: Dunne arrives
In addition to technical and management difficulties, there is also the question of the driver line-up complicating Red Bull’s future. Isack Hadjar is expected to be promoted to the official Red Bull team, while Lindblad will take his place at Racing Bulls. Schumacher told Backstage Pit Lane that, in his view, Dunne will also join the Faenza-based team:
“Before Baku, I would have said that Tsunoda and Lawson were out for next season. If you want to give space to young drivers, the competition remains very tough.”
For Ralf Schumacher, the most realistic scenario is Isack Hadjar alongside Max Verstappen in the main team, with a Lindblad-Dunne pairing in Racing Bulls. He also acknowledged that Tsunoda might find protection under new team principal Laurent Mekies, who knows the Japanese driver well and appreciates his human approach. The future remains uncertain:
“In Baku, both Tsunoda and Lawson performed well, but the gap to the leaders was significant. Tsunoda has already shown levels similar to those of Perez at his best.”
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