Christian Horner rejects Adrian Newey “stardust” question: “Issues were already there”

Christian Horner is adamant Adrian Newey’s exit on the eve of the Miami Grand Prix hasn’t resulted in Red Bull’s sudden downfall in F1 2024. 

Coincidentally since the race in Miami, Max Verstappen has won just three races.

Two of those could have easily been won by McLaren had it not been for some Verstappen brilliance.

Red Bull’s downturn in form has been so severe that McLaren are now just eight points behind in the constructors’ championship with eight rounds to go.

The drivers’ championship is looking more promising for Verstappen though - he’s 62 points ahead of Lando Norris.

However, if Red Bull’s Italian GP form carries over to Singapore and Baku, that gap could easily be halved ahead of the final stretch of races in the Americas and Middle East.

Newey’s departure from the team has led to some suggestions that Red Bull are already missing his influence.

Speaking to media after the race at Monza, where Crash.net were present, Horner was asked if Red Bull are missing the “stardust” Newey brings to a team.

Horner replied: “I think we would have had all of these issues because the issues were already there, and one man’s input could never be so dramatic so quickly.

“This started to really highlight itself in Miami, and Adrian was plugged in up until Friday of Miami, so there’s no way it would have been impacted so quickly.”

Horner was then asked if Newey would be able to find a solution if he was still involved.

The Red Bull boss gave a defensive response, stating that F1 is a “team sport” and not down to just one individual.

“Well he’d be working with all the same people, you know, F1 is a team sport, it’s a team issue, and the team will come up with the resolution,” Horner explained.