Red Bull’s Technical Director Pierre Wache explains why Adrian Newey is still so important to the team, even if he is now taking a step back in day-to-day business
“He’s irreplaceable, yes – you can’t replace him!” says Red Bull Technical Director Pierre Wache about Adrian Newey. As one of the most successful engineers in the history of Formula 1, the Briton has been a pillar of the team and its success since he joined Red Bull in 2006.
This is how Newey contributed to Red Bull’s 13 world championship titles – seven in the drivers’ championship with Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen and six in the constructors’ championship.
Even though Newey stepped back from the day-to-day management of Formula 1’s technical affairs when Wache was promoted to technical director in 2018, he is still involved in development. That is why his contribution is praised by Wache as crucial to their competitiveness.
“On a day-to-day basis, he’s not part of our process,” “He comes in more from the side and tries to help us or challenge us on different aspects of the team – that could be mechanical design, aero or vehicle dynamics.”
Newey’s experience is invaluable to the team after almost two decades at Red Bull, as well as previous successful spells at Williams and McLaren.
Not for nothing, Wache believes that the Briton has “the most experience of the whole field in terms of technique” and that he now acts as a mentor for the team. “He is someone who questions things. He’s not there to make the plan, to make the whole concept of the car.”
Instead, Newey is like a sounding board for ideas: “He is always challenging us. I would say he challenges us more than we agree. But that’s good. Because when you take a step back, you also see other things.”
“He has a different background to all of us. And he also has some knowledge that we don’t have. Because we haven’t experienced everything he has.”
In addition to Newey’s experience, Wache is particularly impressed by his humility and emphasizes that he creates a healthy working environment: “He’s a very smart person and yet very open-minded. People with a lot of success often think that their idea is the best, but he’s not like that. He is very unbiased. “