10/05/2024
NEWS STORY
Helmut Marko has admitted that losing design guru Adrian Newey is "a big loss" for Red Bull.
Whilst many might regard the Austrian's comment as the understatement of the year, over the course of the Miami weekend the Milton Keyes based outfit was keen to play down the significance of last Wednesday's announcement or the potential fallout.
Newey, accompanied by his wife, was seen throughout the weekend and after addressing the assembled crew on Friday was given an enthusiastic round of applause, as Christian Horner, Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez and the rest emphasised that Red Bull's success hasn't been down to one man... even though Newey has been a common factor during the Austrian team's periods of domination, much as he was at Williams and McLaren.
However, the ever outspoken Helmut Marko was willing to state the fact that dare not speak its name.
"This is of course a big loss for Red Bull Racing," he told Austria's Kronen Zeitung.
"He may not have been involved in the day-to-day running, he may not have paid attention to every detail, every screw," he continued, "but he was the one who controlled the complex knowledge of aerodynamics and mechanical grip of the whole car. Moreover, his great successes have made him a legend."
Nonetheless, at least outwardly, Marko claims that the team will not suffer the disaster that some within the paddock are predicting.
"We have built up a young engineering team in recent years, so we are very well positioned," he said. "But of course in 2026 there will be new regulations. Whenever such regulations came in the past, it was usually Adrian who was the first to understand it optimally."
Indeed, speaking to Sky Sports at the weekend, Newey, despite his criticism of regulation changes over the years, admitted that he relishes the challenge that each change brings.
"I do enjoy regulation changes, for sure," he said. "This current crop of regulations was the biggest regulation change we've had since 1983, when flat bottom cars came in. So I really enjoyed the challenge of all the research and detail design of that car.
"These, the two subsequent cars, are evolutions of that car, and next year's car will be the third evolution of that car. It's been a great series, one that surprised me just how much there is in these cars. Actually, when I first looked at the regulations, I wasn't so sure, but, yes, it's been fun."
All of which doesn't sound like a man content to tend his garden for the foreseeable future.