Jacques Villeneuve believed that the passing of Dietrich Mateschitz sparked tensions within Red Bull. Adrian Newey and Dietrich Mateschitz will be departing from the Red Bull family before 2025. The Englishman has not disclosed the specific reasons for his unexpected departure. However, many speculate that the increasing conflicts between the top positions may be the cause. Amidst this situation, Villeneuve shared his thoughts on Newey’s sudden exit from the Austrian constructor.
Villeneuve recalled Mateschitz’s leadership and how everything took a negative turn after the co-founder’s death. The former world champion claimed that Mateschitz held everything together at Red Bull. However, after his passing, the unity crumbled, resulting in internal conflicts involving external individuals. The situation quickly escalated, spiraling out of control, leading to Newey’s departure from the team.
Furthermore, the matter became deeply personal and was brought into the public eye. This further influenced Adrian Newey’s difficult decision. Additionally, the dominance of Red Bull attracted unnecessary problems. Villeneuve asserted that under such circumstances, sustaining such dominance in Formula 1 became extremely challenging.
Adrian Newey played a crucial role in designing all of Red Bull’s championship-winning F1 cars. While Newey was not considered “irreplaceable,” having someone of his caliber was vital for the Austrian constructor. Villeneuve believed that there were numerous non-racing-related issues within Red Bull. Someone was exacerbating the situation, causing further problems within the team.
Moreover, Villeneuve praised Newey as a visionary and emphasized his significance to the team. The Canadian explained that even in Newey’s absence, Red Bull would still achieve race victories. However, according to the former world champion, the 65-year-old was not the solution to all problems. Nevertheless, retaining Newey was crucial due to his exceptional track record at Red Bull.
However, Red Bull’s performance may suffer greatly by the 2026 season. It is likely that Newey will continue his Formula 1 career with another constructor in the upcoming season. The following weeks will be highly intriguing as we observe the course of action for the 65-year-old.