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Nico Rosberg says Red Bull are still trying to ‘fight back to their greatness’ after Adrian Newey’s exit over two years ago.
Red Bull confirmed at the start of May 2024 that Newey would leave the team after 18 years. Max Verstappen went on to win his fourth consecutive championship that year in the Briton’s final car.
But last year, Lando Norris and McLaren dethroned Red Bull – a changing of the guard that had already begun in the second half of 2024. Verstappen finished just two points behind Norris after a mighty comeback, but the dynasty had come to an end.
How much are Red Bull MISSING Adrian Newey right now?
Nico Rosberg fears Red Bull can’t ‘keep up’ without Adrian Newey
At the start of the new regulations, Red Bull have dropped out of title contention altogether. After seven races, Verstappen is seventh in the standings, 101 points behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli.
While Red Bull have suffered with unreliability so far, contributing to their disappointing 89-point haul, the same is true of Mercedes and McLaren ahead. They are fourth in the pecking order and fourth in the standings.
The FIA recently ruled that Red Bull have the best ICE, and while that verdict has been challenged, it inevitably puts pressure on technical director Pierre Wache and the chassis department.
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Speaking on Sky Sports F1 (14/06, 17:04) after the Barcelona GP, Rosberg said Red Bull are missing Newey’s input during race weekends, as well as his ideas for car development.
“I’ve heard internally that it really was a significant step change once Adrian Newey left, because Adrian was so deep in the details, even at the race track, during the race weekend, on vehicle dynamics and everything,” he said.
“Suddenly, he’s gone and they’re still struggling to find that groove again, to fight back to their greatness. The development rate this year, the others are developing faster even. They’re struggling to keep up. Not a great situation for now for them.”
- READ MORE: Red Bull chief admits their ‘biggest issue’ after Max Verstappen struggles at Barcelona Grand Prix
Verstappen finished fourth on Sunday, a result he conceded was somewhat fortunate after Antonelli’s retirement, while Isack Hadjar was lapped in sixth.
As for Newey, his Aston Martin suffered another miserable race as both Lance Stroll and home favourite Fernando Alonso failed to finish.
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