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 roles 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, in 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 aggravating the situation, causing more problems within the team.
Además, Villeneuve elogió a Newey como un visionario y enfatizó su importancia para el equipo. El canadiense explicó que, incluso en ausencia de Newey, Red Bull seguiría obteniendo victorias en las carreras. Sin embargo, según el ex campeón mundial, el hombre de 65 años no era la solución para todos los problemas. Aun así, mantener a Newey era crucial debido a su excepcional historial en Red Bull.
No obstante, el rendimiento de Red Bull podría sufrir mucho en la temporada de 2026. Es probable que Newey continúe su carrera en la Fórmula 1 con otro equipo la próxima temporada. Las próximas semanas serán extremadamente intrigantes, ya que observamos el curso de acción para el hombre de 65 años.
