11/05/2024
NEWS STORY
"Every team has a succession plan," insists Ford Performance Motorsports Director, Mark Rushbrook in reaction to Adrian Newey's departure.
Confirmation that Adrian Newey is leaving Red Bull at season end has led to two main talking points, the first being where he might be heading and the second being how his leaving will affect the Austrian team.
In terms of the second, many are gleefully rubbing their hands together in the hope that losing the design guru will put the "energy drink manufacturer" in its "rightful place".
While Zak Brown warns that Newey will be the first of many dominos to fall in Milton Keynes, the likes of Christian Horner, Helmut Marko and Max Verstappen insist 'not so'.
Also confident that Red Bull will survive is Ford which insists that its plan to partner with the Austrian team's powertrains division from 2026 remain unchanged.
"We have huge respect for Adrian in terms of his career and all the things that he has done for many different teams in F1, especially the last 19 years at Red Bull," Ford Performance Motorsports Director, Mark Rushbrook told Autosport. "We have nothing but admiration and respect for him, and we wish him the best for whatever he will do in the future.
"Our focus though fully remains on the power unit programme for 2026," he insisted. "That's unchanged after this news and that is still going ahead full throttle."
With Horner claiming that Newey first raised doubts about his future with the team in 2014, Rushbrook insists that throughout negotiations Ford was kept fully informed of developments, though the American manufacturer was not best pleased by the lack of transparency at the team whilst investigating Horner for inappropriate behaviour.
"Continuity was in the very first discussions that I had with Christian," said Rushbrook. "So, my question to him was: 'How is Red Bull going to continue to be successful in 2026 with all-new regulations?'
"Like any good company or any good racing team, you always have a succession plan, and you are always training and developing people within the organisation. That is no different in this case. I am not being disrespectful to Adrian at all because he is fantastic, but every team has a succession plan."
Indeed, as Ford prepares to return to F1 for the first time since its ill-fated endeavours with Jaguar twenty years ago, Rushbrook is adamant that in Red Bull the American giant has the perfect partner.
"To do anything great in motorsport, we as Ford find the best teams to partner with. We believe that we have found the best team in Formula 1," he said. "It is all about cooperation, understanding the situation and being committed to doing what it takes to be successful. That is continuing with both parties."