After years of dominating Formula 1, Red Bull Racing has slipped further and further down the running order; Max Verstappen may still be winning races, but the team overall has struggled.

Ask former Red Bull driver Sergio Perez why, and he’ll be able to give you a major clue: Adrian Newey’s exit caused even more problems for the team.

Perez reveals Adrian Newey exit caused “a lot more problems” at Red Bull Racing

After several years dominating the top step of the podium, Red Bull Racing has seen its performance slip, an issue that first became truly prevalent partway through the F1 2024 season.

During that same time period, Adrian Newey — the legendary F1 designer who helped craft the machines that brought Red Bull multiple World Championships — stepped back.

Newey would ultimately announce a deal to move to Aston Martin, but he ended his Red Bull tenure by turning his attention away from the F1 program to Red Bull’s RB17 hypercar.

During that period, Red Bull slipped down the running order, ending 2024 third overall in the World Constructors’ Championship standings.

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Now, Perez has revealed more about the impact of Newey’s exit from the team during a conversation with the Desde el Paddock podcast — and he also touches on the loss of Jonathan Wheatley as sporting director.

“We didn’t dominate in an era like Mercedes, which had an advantage with the engine,” Perez explained. “Here, the advantage was very small, and we had a great team.

“When Adrian Newey left, I think that’s when a lot more problems started.

“Then Jonathan Wheatley left, who was a fundamental part of the team.”

Many of Red Bull’s strong design choices have been traced back to Newey, who is as strong a designer as he is a manager of people.

His success at the helm of the team’s design department came largely from his ability to successfully mate every element of a car: Its aerodynamics, power unit, bodywork, and more. He could understand how even a minor change could impact the bigger picture.

Losing Newey was always going to cause some major upsets, and Perez is clear that he felt it contributed to the team’s losses.

But one cannot ignore that, despite Red Bull’s car problems, Max Verstappen has remained extremely competitive.

Perez touched on that, too, saying, “The truth is, Max deserves all the success he’s having.

“He’s an incredible driver, and very few people understand the way he works – he’s exceptional.

“We had a great team. In the end, it slowly fell apart, but we really did have something special, during one of the most competitive eras in F1.”

As things currently stand, Red Bull Racing sits fourth in the World Constructor Standings, over 200 points in arrears of championship leader McLaren.

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