Mercedes and Red Bull have been big arch-rivals since Toto Wolff took over the Mercedes-AMG-Petronas as the team principal. Under the Austrian boss and Lewis Hamilton as the main driver, the team snatched away the hegemony of Red Bull with Christian Horner and Sebastian Vettel. Vettel won the world championship four times in a row from 2010 to 2013.
But in the turbo-hybrid era, it was Hamilton and Mercedes who made history. Since then, Red Bull boss Christian Horner and Mercedes boss Toto Wolff have been annoyed with each other. In the new cost cap era, Red Bull is having a better time adjusting to the rules with their car far better than the rest. And as they say, it’s their technical director Adrian Newey who has helped the Milton-Keynes-based team achieve historic heights. However, his stay with the Red Bull team is coming to an end after this year. So, will he extend his stay with the current team or head for a new challenge, maybe Mercedes?
Can Adrian Newey Join The Silver Arrows
The Mercedes team is struggling with their W14 car as they did with the previous year’s car. Boss Toto Wolff is looking to make some changes to his team to get out of this frustrating phase. On the contrary, the chief designer of the RB19 car, Adrian Newey, might be looking for a new challenge. Newey’s contract with Red Bull is about to expire very soon. So, chances are that he might switch teams and get into the rival team. The 1996 F1 champion, Damon Hill, believes that there is a high possibility that Newey may go to Mercedes. As a car designer, Adrian Newey has a rich history in Formula One Motorsport.
The Red Bull engineer has won eleven constructor’s championships in his career, including three teams. Newey has been very successful with Red Bull. His recent work includes the RB19 car, which looks just unbeatable at the moment. However, Damon Hill pointed out the fact that “at the Bahrain Grand Prix, Newey had a close look at the W14 car. But why?” He also predicted that Newey must be looking for a new challenge in the Mercedes team. If not, why was he keenly watching the front wings of the Mercedes car?
Advantages Of Having Newey In Team Mercedes
If Newey joins the Brackley team this year, he won’t be the first Red Bull member to move to Mercedes. Jayne Poole, the ex-Red Bull COO, moved to Mercedes early this month. Damon Hill is curious to figure out the answer to the question if Newey, too, will join the Silver Arrows. Hill feels that any advice Adrian Newey will give to any team will be priceless. But he wants to know why he is choosing the Silver Arrows as his next destination and why not Aston Martin or Ferrari instead.
There is no confirmation that this speculation of Hill is true. But it has got some people in the F1 world curious, including fans. If Newey joins the Mercedes team, it can significantly change the fortune of the group. Mercedes has really struggled with the technicalities of the car in recent years. Many engineers have been leaving the Brackley team and moving to Red Bull as well. But the best man who understands the technical side of the car is Adrian Newey. Hence, he could build the car that suits the best under the current regulations.
