Red Bull Racing have to prepare for life without Adrian Newey very soon but a potential successor may already exist within the team.
Max Verstappen is the latest driver to benefit from his genius and Adrian Newey could win his 14 Drivers’ Championship with the Dutchman.
Speaking on the Autosport Podcast, journalist Haydn Cobb believes an obvious candidate stands out to step up in the 65-year-old’s place.
Red Bull already have ‘most logical’ successor to Adrian Newey
The news that Adrian Newey was set to hand in his resignation at Red Bull has shocked the world of Formula 1.
After nearly two decades with the team, he’s now assessing his options about what to do next in his career.
Every other team on the grid – aside from RB – will be working out whether they want to make Newey an offer.
Aston Martin appear to have set the ball rolling in that regard and made Newey a huge offer.
Ferrari are also in the mix and Newey is reportedly ‘seriously considering’ finally making the move to Maranello after coming close to joining Formula 1’s most iconic team in the past.
Red Bull now need to plan for life without Newey and a successor appears to have emerged within the team.
While the 65-year-old has taken a step back from leading Red Bull’s Formula 1 project recently to concentrate on other things, not having him there as a safety blanket when things aren’t going to plan is a major blow.
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Could Pierre Wache step into Adrian Newey’s shoes?
Talking about the future of Red Bull’s technical team, Cobb said: “It was a case of cut now if the damage is done and they look to start their new chapter with the sort of Ford-backed Red Bull Powertrains coming on in a couple of years.
“Or try and repair said damage and keep [Adrian] Newey as part of the team moving forwards.
“It seems like the first option has been taken and they’re going to look to very much start a new chapter as the team in more ways than one and probably in more ways than they would have wanted.
“They would of course have wanted to keep Newey going into the new era.
“But, as you say, Pierre Wache looks like the most logical next direct head of technical development, not that he wasn’t already working alongside Newey, but he will be getting the full responsibility of that.”
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Pierre Wache’s Red Bull future could be in doubt too
It makes sense for Red Bull to name Pierre Wache as Newey’s successor going forward given how closely they’ve worked in the past.
He’s been linked with Mercedes in the past as they look to bring in the right people to help them solve their long-standing issues with their car.
Ferrari are also interested in Wache and would love to bring him in alongside Adrian Newey.
Red Bull will be desperate to stop that happening, especially as the gap between them and Ferrari appears to have closed slightly this season.
With Lewis Hamilton arriving next year and new regulations on the horizon in 2026, Red Bull’s dominance looks to be in more doubt now than it has been for years.
It will be fascinating to see how Red Bull move on from this to maintain their stranglehold on both championships.
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