Just in:Marko’s Adrian Newey admission amid Red Bull emer…read more 

Marko’s Adrian Newey admission amid Red Bull emer…read more 

Red Bull’s senior advisor, Helmut Marko, recently admitted that the team is feeling the absence of legendary Formula 1 designer Adrian Newey as they face challenges at the start of the 2025 F1 season. Despite Newey’s departure ahead of the 2024 Miami Grand Prix, Marko emphasized that Red Bull has been working on building up a strong team to compensate for his absence. Newey, who joined Red Bull in 2006, played an instrumental role in all 14 of the team’s championship wins. Prior to his departure, he was focused on the development of Red Bull’s RB17 hypercar.

The news of Newey’s exit came as a surprise, as Red Bull had been dominating F1’s ground-effect era since 2022. However, as the 2024 season progressed, the team started to struggle with the RB20, and by mid-season, Red Bull went on a run of 10 races without a victory. While Max Verstappen was still able to secure a fourth consecutive Drivers’ Championship, Red Bull fell to third place in the Constructors’ Championship. McLaren, on the other hand, showed impressive form in 2025, winning two races and pulling ahead of Mercedes and Red Bull in the standings.

When asked about Newey’s departure potentially contributing to Red Bull’s drop in performance, Marko admitted, “Of course, we’re missing a man like that. A Newey is a Newey.” However, Marko remained optimistic, stating that Red Bull’s team of nearly a thousand people had been gradually built up to fill the void left by Newey’s exit.

Red Bull’s struggles with the RB21 have led to emergency meetings at their Milton Keynes headquarters, where the primary focus has been on addressing Max Verstappen’s concerns. Marko revealed that the goal of these meetings was to calmly review Verstappen’s feedback and criticisms, allowing the team to make the necessary adjustments to improve the car’s performance.

In addition to addressing the car’s performance issues, Red Bull has made a significant change to its driver lineup. Liam Lawson, who had been filling in alongside Verstappen in the RB21, was demoted after failing to score any points in the first two races of the 2025 season and struggling in qualifying. Lawson’s performance during these races was disappointing, with both of his qualifying sessions resulting in early exits from Q1. As a result, Yuki Tsunoda was brought in to replace Lawson and team up with Verstappen for the remainder of the season.

The decision to remove Lawson from the RB21 has sparked debate within the motorsport community. Former World Champion Jacques Villeneuve weighed in on the situation, arguing that Lawson’s attitude may have contributed to his demotion. Villeneuve pointed out that Lawson had entered F1 with a confident, and at times arrogant, attitude, which led to tension with some of his fellow drivers, including Fernando Alonso and Sergio Perez. Lawson’s on-track struggles compounded the issue, making it difficult for him to justify his place in the team. Villeneuve noted that Lawson’s failure to perform in the top car left Red Bull with little choice but to make a change.

Villeneuve also acknowledged that Red Bull’s decision to remove Lawson after just two races was surprising. He suggested that the team might have given Lawson a few more races to prove himself before making a final judgment. However, Villeneuve understood that the high standards at Red Bull meant that drivers had to perform immediately, and those who didn’t would face consequences. “When you start with Red Bull, you have to be on it right away,” he explained, adding that Lawson’s failure to live up to expectations meant he had to “pay the price.”

Overall, Red Bull is facing a challenging start to the 2025 season, with performance issues in the RB21 and a change in their driver lineup. However, the team is determined to address these problems, with Verstappen’s input and the support of their large engineering team, in hopes of putting the RB21 back into title contention. Despite the challenges, Marko remains confident in Red Bull’s ability to bounce back, acknowledging that the team’s depth and resources will help them find solutions as they continue to work through the issues.