Formula 1’s greatest design mastermind, Adrian Newey, has pinpointed Red Bull’s stunning collapse in 2024 to one glaring issue—a lack of technical leadership experience following his departure.
In a jaw-dropping revelation, Newey suggested that Red Bull’s dominance crumbled not just because of their rivals’ gains, but because internal warning signs about the car’s instability were ignored for too long. With McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes all surging forward to win races, Red Bull found itself in unfamiliar territory—struggling to maintain control.
Speaking in a tell-all interview with Auto Motor und Sport, the legendary designer revealed that he saw Red Bull’s downfall coming—but nobody listened.
“From what I could see, the ’24 car—and even towards the end of ’23—was becoming more difficult to drive,” Newey admitted. “It was something I was starting to become concerned about, but not many other people in the organization seemed to be very concerned.”
“From what I can see from the outside, the guys at Red Bull— and this is no criticism—perhaps through lack of experience, kept going in that same direction. And the problem became more and more acute, to the point that even Max [Verstappen] found it difficult to drive.”
Red Bull Ignored the Warning Signs—Until It Was Too Late
Red Bull’s early-season pace in 2024 masked deeper flaws in the RB20’s design—flaws that Newey himself had spotted but were left unaddressed. The biggest red flag? An increasingly difficult handling balance that even Verstappen struggled to tame.
Initially, Max Verstappen’s natural talent covered up the car’s shortcomings, but his teammate Sergio Perez suffered massively, struggling to extract performance from a machine that was becoming more unpredictable with every race.
Then came Monza—the moment of truth.
The low-downforce, high-speed circuit exposed a fatal weakness in the RB20’s design, revealing that the car’s aero balance was fundamentally flawed at high ride heights. Verstappen himself uncovered the data proving that the car’s mid-corner understeer issues were far worse than in 2023.
“During the season we saw this characteristic, but it wasn’t highlighted as a big issue,” admitted Red Bull’s technical director Pierre Wache. “But when we reduced the downforce for Monza, it really highlighted the problem massively.”
This Monza wake-up call finally forced Red Bull to overhaul its development approach, leading to an upgraded package in the U.S. Grand Prix in October that helped Verstappen recover his form.
Newey’s Verdict: Ground Effect Cars Are a Nightmare to Master
Newey, who will join Aston Martin in 2025, also gave a deep technical insight into why Red Bull—and all teams—struggle with consistency in the current ground effect era.
“A ground effect car without sealed skirts is always going to be very susceptible to aerodynamic instabilities,” he explained. “You’re always trying to trade downforce versus consistency through ride height range. It’s a difficult problem.”
This means Red Bull’s struggles weren’t just an isolated mistake—they were a direct consequence of a flawed development path that took too long to correct.
Is Red Bull Vulnerable in 2025 Without Newey?
With Newey gone and Aston Martin set to benefit from his genius, Red Bull now faces a daunting challenge to maintain its dominance.
The 2024 season proved that McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes are closing the gap, and without Newey’s expertise, Red Bull may find itself in an even deeper hole in 2025.
One thing is certain—without the greatest F1 designer of all time in their corner, Red Bull’s reign is no longer a given.
