Jacques Villeneuve believes that the death of Dietrich Mateschitz caused tensions within Red Bull. Adrian Newey and Dietrich Mateschitz will leave the Red Bull family before 2025. The Englishman did not reveal the specific reasons for his unexpected departure. However, many speculate that the growing conflicts between leadership positions may be the cause. Faced with this situation, Villeneuve shared his thoughts on Newey’s sudden departure from the Austrian constructor.
Villeneuve recalled Mateschitz’s leadership and how everything changed for the worse after the co-founder’s death. The former world champion stated that Mateschitz kept everything together at Red Bull. However, after his death, the unity crumbled, resulting in internal conflicts involving external people. The situation quickly escalated, spiraling out of control and leading to Newey’s departure from the team.
Furthermore, the issue became personal and was brought to public knowledge. This further influenced Adrian Newey’s difficult decision. Additionally, Red Bull’s dominance attracted unnecessary problems. Villeneuve stated that, under these circumstances, maintaining such dominance in Formula 1 became extremely challenging.
Adrian Newey played a crucial role in the design of all of Red Bull’s championship-winning Formula 1 cars. Although Newey was not considered “irreplaceable,” having someone of his stature was vital for the Austrian constructor. Villeneuve believed that there were numerous non-racing-related issues within Red Bull. Someone was exacerbating the situation, causing more problems within the team.
In addition, Villeneuve praised Newey as a visionary and emphasized his importance to the team. The Canadian explained that even in Newey’s absence, Red Bull would still achieve victories in races. However, according to the former world champion, the 65-year-old man was not the solution to all problems. Nonetheless, keeping Newey was crucial due to his exceptional track record at Red Bull.
However, Red Bull’s performance may suffer greatly in the 2026 season. It is likely that Newey will continue his career in Formula 1 with another constructor next season. The upcoming weeks will be extremely intriguing as we observe the course of action for the 65-year-old man.
