Red Bull are falling into the clutches of the chasing pack, and Adrian Newey’s lack of involvement may be the reason.
Adrian Newey is leaving Red Bull at the end of the season (Image: Getty)
Red Bull have reportedly ignored the wishes of Adrian Newey during the development of the RB20 thus far with those decisions coinciding with a drop-off in form for the reigning champions.
Heading into the Hungarian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen still holds a commanding lead at the top of the Drivers’ Championship standings, but after dominating the opening stages of the season he is now looking to end a run of back-to-back races without a win.
Even more concerning for Red Bull is the plight of his team-mate. Sergio Perez’s P17 finish at Silverstone last time out saw him slump to sixth in the standings with race-winner Lewis Hamilton moving within eight points of the Mexican despite sitting down in eighth in the championship.
Red Bull no longer has the strongest car and with both McLaren drivers posting consistently strong results, there is a danger that the Constructors’ Championship title could swing the way of the Woking-based outfit in the second half of the year.
Red Bull are falling into the clutches of the chasing pack, and Adrian Newey’s lack of involvement may be the reason.
Adrian Newey is leaving Red Bull at the end of the season (Image: Getty)
Red Bull have reportedly ignored the wishes of Adrian Newey during the development of the RB20 thus far with those decisions coinciding with a drop-off in form for the reigning champions.
Heading into the Hungarian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen still holds a commanding lead at the top of the Drivers’ Championship standings, but after dominating the opening stages of the season he is now looking to end a run of back-to-back races without a win.
Even more concerning for Red Bull is the plight of his team-mate. Sergio Perez’s P17 finish at Silverstone last time out saw him slump to sixth in the standings with race-winner Lewis Hamilton moving within eight points of the Mexican despite sitting down in eighth in the championship.
Red Bull no longer has the strongest car and with both McLaren drivers posting consistently strong results, there is a danger that the Constructors’ Championship title could swing the way of the Woking-based outfit in the second half of the year.
The struggles of Christian Horner’s outfit may be linked to the team’s apparent reluctance to accept the design desires of Newey. According to a report from Formul1a.uno, the legendary aerodynamicist was ‘strongly against many elements’ of the RB20, and this is understood to be true regarding the cooling systems of the car.
Allegedly, the Brit was vehemently against the ‘shark inlets’ introduced on the RB20 and later adapted by Ferrari. He also reportedly protested against the halo inlets that Red Bull introduced at the Japanese Grand Prix back in April. However, despite his preferences, Pierre Wache’s technical team pressed on with their proposed changes.
With Newey no longer having any creative input on the RB20, Red Bull will now hope that their latest upgrade package will help the team take strides forward when it is strapped onto the car at the Hungaroring.