In 2006, Adrian Newey initiated the transition from Red Bull Racing to Renault engines – they were flexibly controlled, allowing more downforce in slow corners thanks to the energy of the exhaust gases, the flow of which did not depend on pressing the accelerator pedal . The decision paid off: the car drove like it was on rails, which later helped Sebastian Vettel win four championship titles in a row.
The transition to hybrid powertrains in 2014 changed everything. Renault engines were inferior in power and reliability, which excluded Red Bull Racing from the leaders for a long time. Adrian Newey seriously considered moving to Ferrari and leaving racing altogether, and worked on other projects. In the Beyond The Grid podcast, Red Bull’s CTO looked back on that difficult period.
Adrian Newey: “At the start of the hybrid-turbo era, Renault power plants proved to be completely uncompetitive. But we understood that this was only the first year under the new regulations, and that we all make mistakes. Crisis negotiations were organized with Renault.
Christian, Helmut and I went to Renault boss Carlos Ghosn’s office on the Champs-Élysées in Paris to try to get him to increase the budget and resources for the mechanics, who needed more people and money to speed up the work .
Ghosn’s response was: “I am not interested in Formula 1. I only do it because my marketers say it is necessary.”
We were dejected. The team had no other viable options, as Mercedes and Ferrari were unlikely to agree to supply their direct competitors with their engines. As a result, we were stuck with Renault for a long time – a real dark streak began in the team’s life.”
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
