Miami (AFP) – Formula One world champion Max Verstappen has insisted that the exit of Red Bull’s chief technical officer Adrian Newey won’t cause him to reconsider his future with the world champions.
Red Bull confirmed this week that the 65-year-old designer Newey would be leaving in early 2025, after 19 years with the team.
Red Bull have won six constructors’ titles and seven drivers’ titles, split between Sebastian Vettel and Verstappen, with Newey-designed cars to date.
But while Dutchman Verstappen said he would have liked to see Newey stay, the three-time world champion cautioned against predictions of an automatic decline in fortunes for the team.
“From the outside it looks very dramatic, but I think if you actually know what is happening inside the team it’s not as dramatic as it seems,” he told reporters on Thursday at the Miami Grand Prix.
“I think over time, his role has changed a bit and I think a lot of people don’t understand what he was actually doing. “I’m not saying that he wasn’t doing anything but his role has evolved. A lot of good people came into the team that has strengthened that whole department,” Verstappen added.
“Of course, I would have preferred him to stay for sure because you can always rely on his experience. He’s a good person, a great guy to chat to and relate to. He’s very bright, very smart and he would talk to the driver and interpret that into the car, he would try to imagine himself driving,” said Verstappen.
“But I also really trust the technical team that we have. outside of Adrian, is very, very strong. They have basically shown that over the last few years with how competitive the car is,” he added.
Verstappen brushed off rumors of a big money offer to him to leave for rivals Mercedes next season.
“At the end of the day, even if let’s say that was the case, money is not going to be the differentiator for me to go somewhere,” he said. “I’m happy with what I am earning right now. It’s about performance.
“Because I know myself that if I would be driving for P5 or P6, you get quite grumpy with yourself. So it’s always about performance at the end of the day,” Everyone knows that, (Mercedes team principal) Toto (Wolff) also knows that,” he said.
Wolff recently said that the sport was waiting for Verstappen to make his future clear and Verstappen was asked if he found that a strange comment given his stance.
“No because I think everyone should always be optimistic and hopeful in things. But at the moment, I can say that I want to stay with the team because I believe in the project that we have. But at the end of the day, in sports but also in life, you never know what’s going to happen in the future,” he said.
© 2024 AFP
