Pierre Vache: We were ready for Newey’s departure

In Imola, Red Bull Racing technical director Pierre Vache spoke about the situation in the team and the departure of Adrian Newey…

Question: Pierre, is Red Bull feeling the pressure to extract maximum performance from the RB20, or will the car’s natural evolution be enough to maintain the lead?
Pierre Vache: Of course we feel the pressure. I think everyone in Formula 1 feels that. It would be a dream to expect that we can sleep peacefully and win the championship. But in our business you have to constantly move forward, otherwise you roll back. Naturally, we want to achieve maximum results. This is our company and our mentality.

Question: In Bahrain, the team said in the first phase of the season that the car would look completely different in the seventh race. Will modernization be postponed? When can we expect a major update from Red Bull?
Pierre Vache: We have new items. They are not that striking from the outside, but promising. What we put on the car and how we develop it depends on data analysis. The plan is not yet fully defined and depends mainly on what we have found.

Question: A quick question about some personnel changes. Do you want Sergio to stay in 2025?
Pierre Vache: It’s not up to me to make this decision, but Sergio is doing great now. His results are very close to Max’s. The choice is not mine, but I have no complaints about his work.

Q: Adrian Newey will leave the team early next year. How will his death affect your daily activities?
Pierre Vache: Everyone knows that Adrian is a big man in our industry and perhaps the most successful engineer in Formula 1. It will have a big impact on us, but the team was ready for it. We do not expect him to continue working with us for another twenty years. Most of all, we will miss his experience. He has the mentality of a racer.

The future will tell how everything will turn out. The opponents say they are doing everything they can to overtake us. And we, for our part, are doing everything we can to maintain our leadership.

The development of a car is the result of the work of the entire team. This is not one person. Yes, we are very sad to see Adrian leave, but we were ready. And they have to prove that with their results this year and next.

Question: How much influence can one person have on a team’s technical structure?
Pierre Vache: Everyone is important. The older you are, the more influence you have. But the most important thing is to set the direction and establish coordinated joint work of all departments.

Most importantly, you can be confident that you are on the right track.