Over the years Adrian Newey has developed several beautiful cars that have been extremely successful. He did that for Williams and McLaren in the 1990s, before moving to Red Bull. Four years in a row, from 2010 to 2013, the cars he designed were successful, but when the hybrid era started, there were no great successes.
Although Red Bull has won a race with some regularity in the past seven years, until this season the Austrian racing stable never seriously competed for the title. Top designer Newey says in the F1 Nation Podcast to enjoy the fight, but his heart does beat hard. “I think I’ll enjoy it more when it’s over,” he laughs. “It’s stressful, but it’s nice to be back in a position where we pose a threat.”
That is partly due to Honda, which has finally given Red Bull a competitive engine. “We don’t have a hugely dominant car, but since 2014 there have been years where we have had a very competitive chassis without a competitive rear engine. This year we have with Honda. They are doing a great job and coming right on time. namely a bit depressing when you have a good car, but still can not pose a threat.”
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Tires crucial in Red Bull title fight
At the moment, Red Bull has a good taste, but the design guru knows that the battle is not over yet. “It’s been a few good races, but we still have a long way to go. We know how quickly things can turn around, but last Sunday was a beautiful day. Tire wear in Mexico was better than Mercedes,” Newey said.
The rubber was the deciding factor in Mexico, he thinks. But whether that will be the case again in the future, he does not know. “We underperformed in qualifying and Max did very well at the start. The tire wear then gave us the advantage. It’s so hard to predict, these tires. When are you better or when are you worse compared to Mercedes? This Sunday it went well, but the tires are still a difficult story. I don’t think anyone fully understands them.”
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Newey cause of good form Red Bull?
What is striking is that Red Bull has performed well in recent weeks. Coincidentally, Newey had just returned after a two-month absence. Is he the holy grail that makes Verstappen and his team champions? He doesn’t think so. Coincidence, according to the modest Brit.
“That’s very sweet, but I think it’s a coincidence. I’m enjoying being back. I missed it. Hopefully I’ll bring some, but it’s a great team and I’m trying to fill the little gaps that I See. There are so many little things. The decisions about the set-up, the tires. We also had some drama in Mexico with the rear wing. Race cars are not 100% reliable and they just keep ‘steering things at you’,” he said. Newey.
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Verstappen mercilessly punishes ignorant Mercedes
Verstappen once again transformed Mexico into MAXico, but didn’t Mercedes give it up too easily? This and more in RacingNews365’s new F1 podcast.
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