Max Verstappen disregarded Zak Brown’s assertions about increasing uncertainty within Red Bull following Adrian Newey’s departure.
Max Verstappen (L), Zak Brown (R), Adrian Newey (C) (images via IMAGO).
The departure of Newey from Red Bull has caused quite a commotion within the team. As a result, McLaren CEO made several comments regarding the situation. Brown initially stated that numerous Red Bull staff members applied for positions at Woking after the aero-genius left the team. Additionally, the American claimed that Newey’s departure marked the beginning of the team’s downfall. Verstappen has since responded to these comments and provided clarification.
The news of Newey’s departure from Red Bull was not entirely unexpected. However, it still took people by surprise. The strained relationship between Verstappen and Newey, along with the escalating tensions due to recent events, is believed to be the main cause. Verstappen believed that Brown was attempting to provoke controversy with his “domino effect” remark. Furthermore, the reigning world champion stated that the team could not do much about such comments.
However, Verstappen acknowledged Brown’s perspective. The main reason being that many individuals were interested in acquiring Red Bull’s staff for their own benefit. Nevertheless, the 26-year-old had no interest in such news and did not even bother to click on them for further reading. Therefore, Verstappen’s clarification has solidified his loyalty to the team beyond the current season.
Max Verstappen was the top candidate to replace the departing driver at Mercedes if he became dissatisfied with Red Bull. However, the 26-year-old later declared that not even a sum of “$250 Million” would make him consider leaving Milton Keynes. Therefore, when addressing the matter, Verstappen stated that there are no guarantees in life.
In addition, Verstappen revealed that many agreements are made within the Formula 1 world. However, it ultimately comes down to personal satisfaction in performing their job. According to the reigning world champion, there are also many “human aspects” involved in such surprising team switches in Formula 1.
Max Verstappen is currently at the peak of his career. Adrian Newey’s expertise has allowed the 26-year-old to achieve dominant victories. Therefore, the technical genius’s departure may impact Red Bull’s performance as a challenger. However, it will be interesting to see how Milton Keynes copes without Newey in the upcoming seasons.