Although Adrian Newey is said to be heading to Aston Martin, the real “problem” Red Bull could face is the F1 design guru passing on his “ideas” to a rival team, says Robin Frijns.
Having been with Red Bull since 2006, the explosive announcement came here that Newey’s time with the team is over, as he prepares to leave Red Bull entirely in early 2025, continuing the remainder of his contract with the project. RB17 hypercar.
It was in the run-up to the Miami Grand Prix that the Newey news broke, with Max Verstappen completing that P2 race as McLaren’s rise to winning performances began, and McLaren and Mercedes have since reduced the former man’s dominance. Red Bull. .
However, Le Mans elegance winner Robin Frijns does not believe that the demise of Red Bull’s dominance could be linked to Newey’s departure.
“With Red Bull or Max, which is no longer even a moment faster than the others, you can see the team making strategic mistakes,” he told Formule1. nl.
“Always surprising. After all, Red Bull is the norm in everything.
“People wonder if the crash may simply be due to the departure of Adrian Newey. Personally, I don’t think so.
“Newey is the guy with the most experience at Red Bull in terms of aerodynamics. But many other people within the team have worked out through it. Nor does it manufacture the car alone. If Newey retires, Red Bull’s exercise will go ahead. .
However, where Frijns believes Red Bull may have a “problem” (as Newey is said to have struck a deal with Aston Martin worth $100m) is the threat of Newey pitching his concepts to a rival, as Newey is a field specialist. -aerodynamic effect.
“But what may just be a problem: Newey passes his concepts on to another team,” Frijns said.
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And Frijns believes Aston Martin is the team Newey will end up in, and the 65-year-old, whose creations have accounted for 25 F1 championship titles, first connected with Ferrari before hypotheses about Aston Martin began to gain momentum.
At this stage in life, Frijns does not believe the appeal of Ferrari and moving to Italy would be strong for Newey.
“By the way, I hope he moves on to Aston Martin, Ferrari,” Frijns said. “Newey needs to live comfortably in England when he is older. “
Before winning thirteen titles with Red Bull, Newey also designed winning cars for Williams and McLaren.
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