F1 chief Christian Horner blamed for key figure quitting Red Bull

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Christian Horner blamed for key figure quitting Red Bull

Christian Horner's leadership has been questioned

By Sheona Mountford.

Thursday 1 May 2025 03:00

Christian Horner has been sent a stark message on the departure of key designer Adrian Newey from his Red Bull team.

Ralf Schumacher has spoken out about Newey's exit, which was announced midway through last season and could have a long-term impact on the team's competitiveness.

Since Newey’s exit Pierre Wache has taken on the role of technical director, and according to Schumacher he does not quite have the same qualities as Newey - an individual he believes Horner should have not let go.

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"In my opinion, Pierre Wache is simply not Adrian Newey. As a result, it will be difficult,” he said to Sky Germany.

"He built the entire team and was responsible for it along with Dr. Marko. He should have seen that. And he should never have lost Adrian Newey."

Have Red Bull suffered without Newey?

Whilst it may just be a coincidence that Red Bull’s downturn in performances aligned with Newey’s departure, the team are nevertheless unable to develop the car any further ahead of their rivals.

Horner has outlined discrepancies between the expected performance in the wind tunnel and their results on track, but the team seem no closer to solving the issue despite Max Verstappen’s impatience with the RB21.

Red Bull’s weak results in 2025 has once again prompted speculation that Verstappen could sign for Aston Martin, particularly now Adrian Newey has joined their ranks.

Newey assumed his role as managing technical partner in March, and is busy designing the team’s 2026 challenger which they hope will lift them out of the midfield and into the championship fight.

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Red Bull Max Verstappen Christian Horner Aston Martin Adrian Newey Ralf Schumacher