Max Verstappen said he understood Adrian Newey’s decision to leave Red Bull but told him he wanted him to stay.
The three-times world champion has achieved all his F1 victories in cars designed by Newey. However Red Bull announced yesterday he will leave them early next year.“I would have preferred, of course, Adrian to stay,” Verstappen told Sky. “And that’s what I also said to Adrian.”
However Verstappen said Newey is right to put himself first in his decision. “You have to do what you think is best for yourself because at the end of day F1 is a bit of a shark tank and I think it’s very important that you do think about yourself, that you make the right decision for yourself and your family.
“So I also don’t blame him. If someone wants to leave, you go and pursue other goals or things in life. So that’s absolutely fine.”
Verstappen has a long-term contract with Red Bull to remain at the team until 2028. However the departure of Newey will cast doubt on how competitive the team will be in the future, particularly after new technical regulations arrive in 2026.
He said he will have no reason to leave the team as long as he remains happy with the performance of their car and the environment at Red Bull.
“At the end of the day it’s not about money for me,” he said. “I’m already very happy, of course, about what I’m having at the team.
“At the end of the day it’s really important about having the quickest car and of course, a good environment, and that’s what we have currently and that’s also what I ask for. As long as the environment is right and we have the quickest car then it’s quite straightforward.”
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Tony M
2nd May 2024, 22:14
Max has his dad to thank for Newey leaving. If you know you know.
osnola
3rd May 2024, 9:39
Gossip is not the same as facts.
That’s the problem with the internet these days. Some believe everything they read.
anon
3rd May 2024, 9:41
You aren’t exactly immune from that problem either – it’s just that you see your own biases as right and those of others as wrong.
AlanD
3rd May 2024, 15:14
…provided it fits with their own agenda. I am amazed at the capacity of people to ignore things which don’t fit in their world picture and blindly accept that which does. F1 biases are quite low on the scale of delusions compared to, say, the antivaxxers, the flat-earthers, or Trump’s belief that he is the greatest president ever.
Nick T.
3rd May 2024, 17:00
I’m surprised Jos wasn’t able to get him to stay using his usual tactic: overwhelming violence against the elderly or the threat thereof.
floodo1 (@floodo1)
3rd May 2024, 20:39
lol
pcxmac (@pcxmac)
2nd May 2024, 22:31
Paging Detective Murtaugh.
Bullfrog (@bullfrog)
2nd May 2024, 23:05
Please could we see the stupid questions that produced these reactions?
Tristan
3rd May 2024, 5:49
“What are your thoughts on Adrian’s departure from the team?”
–
“Does Adrian leaving impact your decision for the future, whether you will be staying at Red Bull?”
–
I’m just guessing given the answers, but it doesn’t sound stupid to me. Perhaps you could better convey your criticism?
Nick T.
3rd May 2024, 17:09
I mean, they are stupid or, at the very least, boring questions with predictable answers that tell us nothing. It’s on par with questions like “Are you going to go for it in the race?” “What do you think about this great crowd here today?” “Are you looking forward to driving at [insert classic track]?” “Tell us what driving at your home race means to you?” “What does racing against the likes of Nikita Mazepin and Lance Stroll mean to you on a personal level?”
MacLeod (@macleod)
3rd May 2024, 8:02
As Dutchy this sounds strange from the mouth of Max
That is not what i would expect from Max’s mouth.
This quote is more Max Like:
AlanD
3rd May 2024, 15:19
You raise a good point Bullfrog. So much journalism is spinning by omission, they ask a stupid or provocative question, then spin the answer out of context as if a driver has marched up to the press pack and made an announcement.
baasbas
3rd May 2024, 16:42
@AlanD
Well, what about this, here is the actual clip:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-6xrI_T9XU
Now did he tell Adrian to stay or did he tell him to do what is best for himself?
This clip makes the headline complete trash imho
Nick T.
3rd May 2024, 17:13
I mean, let’s be honest, 75% of F1 headlines are and have always been writers just taking half of a driver’s sentence and turning it into a seemingly provocative statement. To RF’s credit, they do it far less and/or in a less egregious manner than most of their peers. Sites like PF1 operate purely on misquoting drivers.
baasbas
3rd May 2024, 18:15
@Nick T.
While I agree it could be worse I still feel strong about calling it out every time it happens
Nick T.
3rd May 2024, 19:00
And I’m all for the call outs. It cracks me up when someone says “in your opinion!” Well, yeah. I thought that’s what we’re all here for.
MichaelN
3rd May 2024, 9:40
Another driver who fled to Monaco but insists ‘it’s not about the money’. An F1 classic!
But anyway, that’s quite a shaky commitment from Verstappen; 1) the ‘environment’ needs to be ‘right’, 2) Red Bull should have ‘the quickest car’. It all makes 2028 seem very far away.
It’s not often that a dominant team seems to be coming apart at the very same time as they’re winning basically every race.
AlanD
3rd May 2024, 15:23
Michael, do you pay taxes? Do you pay one penny more in tax than you need to. Do you claim all the deductions available to you for expenses, family allowances, etc? Why do you think that anyone who just happens to earn more than you do is a money-grubbing capitalist and should be ashamed of themselves for legally minimising the amount of taxes they pay?
baasbas
3rd May 2024, 16:41
@MichaelN
I saw the clip, the reporter asked if he could be persuaded away from RBR for instance with the right financial offer.. So in that regards his response makes sense.
baasbas
3rd May 2024, 16:47
@MichaelN
Actually, listening again, the reporter tries his luck if Verstappen could be tempted by the right offer ‘be that financially or a world of opportunities’ to leave. So he dismisses the first by saying it is not about money and he affirms it is about the second… about the fastest car and good environment.
Nick T.
3rd May 2024, 17:19
They’re committed to positive change though, Michael! Unless, of course, it costs them money. But don’t bother pointing it out because “we all know you’d do the same in his shoes!” are 75% of the replies. I know someone who is straight edge + committed to paying her fair share at the cost of 7-8 figures over the course of the last 20 years: my own mother. So, I’ll happily ignore those who say “everybody would do the same.” When everybody starts doing it’s because they feel like no one else is paying their fair share or playing by the rules, so why should they? I won’t demonize these drivers for it, but I certainly won’t pretend to respect them for it.
AlexS
3rd May 2024, 21:02
And “fair share ” happens to be your definition of fair share Nick T. that should be imposed on others that don’t agree with?
Edvaldo
3rd May 2024, 14:25
i’m curious to see how this team reacts now. They’re obviously a quality team way beyond Newey, as their strategies and pitwork show, but their existence is deeply connected to him as he’s with them since their 2nd season and his position never seemed to be in doubt, their trust in him was absolute. Not many designers can get to the point of staying as long as they want like he did.
Nick T.
3rd May 2024, 19:02
Wonder if Sanchez would have signed for Alpine had he known Newey would be leaving when he left McLaren.
Tifoso1989 (@tifoso1989)
4th May 2024, 16:35
Sanchez is a very good aerodynamicist, nothing more. Newey is a master all around car designer with deep understanding of aerodynamics. The only person in the paddock who can actually replace him is probably James Allison. RBR for sure is going to split his duties between other excellent technicians. The effect of Newey’s departure will be felt in the next major rule change in 2026.
AlexS
3rd May 2024, 21:04
For all the F1 media we have we don’t know much about how the teams work and the influence Newey for example have currently. There is not much depth to the journalist work.