Adrian Newey has admitted that the RB20 has “one feature” that he isn’t content with, which might be changed this season.
Red Bull’s chief technical officer’s last significant contribution to their F1 project could be to tweak a part of their dominant car.
Newey oversaw Sebastian Vettel’s era that yielded four consecutive drivers’ titles at Red Bull. He now designs the cars which Max Verstappen is dominating with.
Regarded as the best F1 car designer, Newey is now on the radar of Ferrari and Aston Martin in particular.
He was asked about this season’s RB20: “Is there any room for improvement? Do you search for perfection? Where are the chinks in the armour?”
Newey responded: “There is always room for improvement. This car is the third evolution of the 2022 car under this rule-set.
“We’ve got one more year, next year, until the huge change in 2026.
“We are always searching for little bits and pieces. The fundamental architecture of the car stays the same.
“For instance, there is one feature on the car which I’m not terribly happy with, this year.
“It’s something which will either change this year or will be altered next year.”
Newey said about his legendary career and his Red Bull exit: “I have been doing the job that I’ve always to, since a kid. That’s my passion.
“I enjoy working with the drivers, the engineers, the team, the mechanics. That’s what gets me up and motivates me.
“The other side of it? It’s something that, I guess, comes as part of the package but it’s not something I think about.
“It has been a bit of a shock and a surprise.”
He was asked: “The other stuff being an unwelcome distraction?”
Newey replied: “No, not an unwelcome distraction. I don’t know how to put it. Probably a surprise, more than anything.
“I never think about that.
“Statistics, and all that, isn’t something that drives me.
“It’s what I do. I just normally end up under the radar, and I’m happy with that.”
Adrian Newey: 2026 regulations “strange”
Newey delivered an intriguing description of the 2026 F1 regulations – which he is not yet confirmed to be a part of.
The exit of Red Bull’s chief technical officer, and the brains behind their dominant F1 cars, has got rivals determined to lure him into their factories.
Newey will leave Red Bull formally in early-2025 and can reportedly take another job immediately, giving him time to oversee the direction of a new team’s first car under the revised 2026 hybrid rule-set.
Newey was asked if the 2026 regulations are “compelling” enough for him to commit to another project.
“I must admit that, when the 2022 regulations were announced in 2020, my first reaction was that they were restrictive,” he told Sky Sports.
“That’s always a shame. The more regulation restrictive we have, the more it stifles creativity.
“But, as it turns out, there is quite a lot of flexibility.
“We saw that at the start of 2022. There were a lot of different shapes.
“The 2026 regulations? At the moment, they look like a slightly strange set of regulations.
“To then write them off? And say they won’t be good? It’s way too premature.
“There comes a point, always, as a designer that you first look at what they might be. You have an opinion that they might be good or bad.
“But you have to ignore that, and get on with the challenge of it.
“I’m sure 2026 will be another big challenge. Whether I am a part of it? I really don’t know.
“To those involved, it will be a big challenge.”