Verstappen says Newey exit won’t impact his future with Red Bull – Firstpost

Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen has insisted the departure of Red Bull technical director Adrian Newey will not lead him to reconsider his future with the world champions. Red Bull confirmed this week that designer Newey, 65, will leave at the start of 2025, after 19 years with the team.

Red Bull has won six constructors’ titles and seven drivers’ titles, split between Sebastian Vettel and Verstappen, with cars designed by Newey to date.

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But while Dutchman Verstappen said he would have liked to see Newey stay, the three-time world champion warned against predictions of an automatic decline in the team’s fortunes.

“From the outside it looks very dramatic, but I think if you actually know what’s going on within the team, it’s not as dramatic as it seems,” he said to journalists Thursday during the Miami Grand Prix.

“I think over time his role has changed a little bit and I think a lot of people don’t understand what he actually did.

“I’m not saying he didn’t do anything, but his role evolved. A lot of good people came into the team which strengthened this whole department,” added Verstappen.

“Of course, I would have preferred him to stay, that’s for sure because we can always count on his experience. He’s a good person, a great guy to talk and interact with. He’s very bright, very intelligent and he was talking to the driver and interpreting that in the car, he was trying to imagine himself driving,” Verstappen said.

“But I also really trust the technical team we have. apart from Adrian, he is very, very strong. They’ve basically demonstrated that over the last few years with the competitiveness of the car,” he added.

Verstappen has dismissed rumors of a big money offer for him to move to rival Mercedes next season.

“At the end of the day, even if it did, money is not going to be a differentiator for me to go somewhere,” he said.

“I’m happy with what I’m winning at the moment. It’s a question of performance.

“Because I know myself that if I was driving for P5 or P6, you get pretty grumpy with yourself. In the end, it’s always about performance.

“Everyone knows it, (Mercedes team principal) Toto (Wolff) knows it too,” he said.

Wolff recently said the sport was waiting for Verstappen to clarify his future and Verstappen was asked if he found that a strange comment given his position.

“No because I think everyone should always be optimistic and hopeful about things. But for the moment I can say that I want to stay in the team because I believe in the project we have.

“But at the end of the day, in sport but also in life, you never know what will happen in the future,” he said.