McLaren Formula 1 CEO Zak Brown says that Adrian Newey is just the first domino to fall at Red Bull Racing, and won’t be the last.
Brown suggested that Newey’s departure will trigger an exodus of talent from the Milton Keynes organisation, while indicating that McLaren has already received interest from its current employees.
He also made it clear that the Christian Horner controversy triggered Newey’s decision to leave the team.
“Am I surprised?,” said Brown when asked about Newey’s departure. “Six months ago, I would have been surprised. I think given everything that’s gone on since the start of the year and knowing Adrian pretty well, and he’s very high integrity individual. I’m not surprised.
“He’s moving on. I think the stuff that’s going on there is a bit destabilising. It’s probably the first domino to fall. I guess it’s not the last, based on the resumes that are flying around.”
Asked to elaborate on that claim he said: “Yeah, we’ve seen an increase in CVs coming our way from the team.
“I think Adrian is the most successful designer of all time. So in addition to the technical that he brings to the racing team, people want to work for people like Adrian Newey and work alongside him. So I think they’ll be missing what he brings to the team from a pure technical point of view.
“And then I think the leadership and the excitement people get from working with him will be missed.”
Brown insisted that McLaren is not in the race to sign up Newey.
“And as far as McLaren is concerned, I’m very happy with all the work the men and women at McLaren are doing,” he said. “I think we’ve started to show since last year, the second half of last year, that they know how to put performance on the car.
“So I’ve got all the faith in the world with the team that we have. We’re on a quest to get back to the front. And I think we have the people, the talent, the equipment, the drivers to get there. So we’re going to just stay the course.”
However Brown conceded that Newey would be a valuable catch: “With a resume and a track record like Adrian Newey, Adrian is going to add value to any racing team. But we’re very happy with the trajectory that we’re on.
“Never say never. But I’m very happy with the team, the technical leadership, the way Andrea [Stella] is running the racing team. And we’ve got a plan and we’re going to keep our head down.
“And of course, we always look for opportunities to make additive additions to the racing team.”
Adam Cooper F1 