Newey departure already hurting Red Bull - Albers

Red Bull is now feeling the effects of recent high-profile departures, according to former Formula 1 driver Christijan Albers.

Dan Fallows left for Aston Martin, Rob Marshall went to McLaren, and now the fact that Adrian Newey is steadily departing has all hurt the team’s performance, the Dutchman argues.

"I’ve kept hearing for over a year now - Pierre Wache is the man," Albers said. "’Adrian is nothing’. I keep hearing that sort of thing," he told De Telegraaf.

The truth of the matter is that, after a dominant start to the 2024 season, news of Newey’s departure did coincide with the car’s performance decline.

"There are two factors that have played a role in this," Albers speculates. "Newey, who gives a certain philosophy, direction, and a leadership that functions so well. And the departure of Rob Marshall that played maybe an even bigger role.

"We can all see that the performance is no longer coming," the former Minardi driver added.

"They hoped for much more from that update, that’s clear, and maybe it will just take a while. The reality is that, since those two men left, the dominance is no longer there."

Albers also thinks poor team management has played into the current situation - like the premature re-signing of Sergio Perez for 2025 and 2026.

"Sorry to say it," the 45-year-old said, "but I think (Christian) Horner was too quick to try to create peace in the team in that way. It was a kamikaze action to sign Perez in the worst form he has ever been in.

"Horner does everything to please Verstappen, whether Max loses sleep over it or not."

Albers is even critical of Dr Helmut Marko’s suddenly-amended Red Bull contract, which reportedly erases the clause allowing Max Verstappen to leave if Marko departs prematurely.

"They simply paid a lot of money to create peace," Albers said bluntly. "If that side letter really is gone, Max’s contract will valid until 2028 - unless he does not like the performance of the car."