Red Bull guru Newey's crash reports “blown out of proportion” - Horner

Newey, Red Bull’s design guru, was forced to miss several races after hurting himself in a cycling crash over the summer break but was declared fit to return to F1 action at last month’s Turkish Grand Prix. 

Speaking to Sky Germany, Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko described the crash and Newey’s injuries as serious and revealed he required "several operations”. 

Marko admitted Newey’s absence had hurt Red Bull but Horner downplayed the impact of his spell on the sidelines. 

“Obviously things get blown out of proportion sometimes,” Horner said. 

"He had an accident whilst he was on holiday and thankfully he’s back fully fit and has been for a few weeks now. 

“He was in Istanbul and here this weekend [in Austin]. He’s in good shape.”

At the time, Marko explained that Newey was immediately able to identify set-up issues with Red Bull’s car at Istanbul Park and played a key role in helping the team turnaround its weekend after a difficult Friday in Turkey. 

"We are well positioned, but of course Newey is the figurehead,” Marko said. 

“And his absence just from motivation is seen. In the early stages we didn't know how serious the injury was. He had to have several operations.

“But now he is back. He is now not fully fit, but he is there to do his job and has also immediately recognised the difficulties we had in terms of set-up.”

Verstappen finished second in Turkey and went on to claim his eighth victory of the season at the United States Grand Prix, with Newey once again present. 

The results have helped Verstappen move into a 12-point lead over Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton in the world championship heading into the remaining five races.