Red Bull development driver Daniel Ricciardo believes it was “fitting” for the team’s chief technical officer Adrian Newey to join Max Verstappen on the podium at the Canadian Grand Prix, after the Dutchman secured yet another victory.
Last Sunday at the Circuit de Gilles-Villeneuve was a significant day in the history of the Milton Keynes-based team, as Verstappen’s win marked Red Bull’s 100th victory since they joined the sport in 2005.
Given that Newey joined the team in 2006, all of the team’s wins have come thanks to cars which he designed.
Incredibly, Verstappen’s win was actually the 200th where the race has been won by a car designed by Newey, making his podium appearance that much more special.
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A team representative from the winning outfit always appears on the podium, with Ricciardo having revealed that team principal Christian Horner is responsible for deciding which employee will collect the trophy.
It was Newey’s turn on Sunday, something Ricciardo was pleased to see.
The Australian described the 64-year-old as being a “fundamental part” of Red Bull, with the CTO very much being an “F1 guru”.
“He’s been such a fundamental part of the team,” Ricciardo said during his live watch-along event, which was aired in the UK on Sky Sports.
“100 victories today so he’s the man. I still go into his office. He has sketches. He’s so old school but he’s ultimate in design and he’s an F1 guru.”
Ricciardo added: “Any member of the team can go up and Christian will make the call for each race. It’s fitting for Adrian to go up after a race like this.”
It’s been 32 years since Newey designed his first race winning car, following Nigel Mansell’s victory for Williams at the 1991 Mexican Grand Prix.
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Newey has certainly still got what it takes, given that the RB19 is one of the most dominant cars ever seen at the pinnacle of motorsport.
Red Bull have sensationally won 18 of the last 19 races, whilst Verstappen has already won six races himself in 2023.
His win on Sunday was actually the 41st of his career, putting him level with three-time World Champion Ayrton Senna.