When Red Bull Racing entered Formula 1 in 2005 in a takeover of the struggling Jaguar team, the energy drink giants knew they needed a catalyst for success if they wanted to become one of the top teams in the sport.
Team principal Christian Horner decided that if the team could find technical direction of a high quality then they this could trigger their ascent of the timing screens and he targeted one of the smartest minds in the sport.
Red Bull appointed Adrian Newey as technical director following successful spells with Williams and McLaren, which saw the 64-year-old design six constructors’ championship winning pieces of machinery.
Horner has claimed that Newey revolutionised the team and even joked that he “lives in the matrix,” such is the genius of man.
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Managing to entice the Brit to Red Bull from McLaren was an impressive coup for the energy drink giants at the team and Christian Horner has explained that Newey had one unusual request as part of his move from Woking to Milton Keynes.
“I think it’s probably the only drawing board in Formula 1, I had to argue with [ex-McLaren chief executive] Ron Dennis to wrestle it out of McLaren,” said Horner, claiming that Newey still prefers to work using a physical drawing board.
“Obviously highs and lows during all these years but it’s always been fun. It’s always been about racing.”
The RB-18 saw Max Verstappen win a record shattering 15 races in 2022 on the way to his second consecutive drivers’ championship, but more importantly Newey’s latest design saw the constructors’ champion return to Red Bull after eight years with Mercedes.
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The car was initially overweight as the team attempted to create the best car under the new set of regulations that came into effect last season, but this issue was quickly resolved while the likes of Mercedes struggled with porpoising.
Newey will face one of the most difficult tasks of his career in 2023, as Red Bull look to retain both their championship trophies while having significantly less testing time than their rivals.
This disadvantage comes as a result of the team’s punishment for breaching the 2021 cost cap, combined with the fact that testing time is scaled down bases on team’s finishing positions in the championship.