Mercedes have F1 icon Coulthard to blame for Verstappen dominance

Christian Horner on Red Bull's success and hints at next step

We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info

Mercedes can blame David Coulthard for the re-emergence of Red Bull as the dominant team in Formula One. Red Bull have finally wrestled the initiative from Mercedes, as Max Verstappen cruised to his second world title victory and the Silver Arrows faltered in 2022.

But the foundations of the irrepressible Verstappen’s success were laid down long before the Dutchman had taken his first seat in F1. Former Red Bull driver Coulthard had an instrumental role in the hire of design genius Adrian Newey in the team’s fledgling years in 2006. 

Newey is one of the most esteemed designers in F1 history – with his car designs taking his teams to an incredible 23 Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championship titles. And as one of the most prized names in the sport, Red Bull had a huge job on their hands to convince Newey to join after his title successes at Williams and McLaren.

But Team Principal Christian Horner could lean on Newey’s close relationship with Brit Coulthard, who provided a glowing endorsement and helped persuade him to make the switch.

“What was missing was a clear technical direction. I’d always been a fan of Adrian and his cars going back to the Leyton House days in the late 1980s,” Horner recalled in an interview with Redbull.com, discussing Newey’s appointment. 

“Adrian was the very best that’s ever been in Formula One, so it was a question of how could we entice, how could we attract Adrian to join the Red Bull team? That’s where David Coulthard came into play who was our driver at the time who had worked with Adrian for many years at Williams and McLaren.”

Newey was initially sceptical about the move. Red Bull had gained a reputation for being a “party team” not long after debuting on the grid in 2005, but his appointment signalled a significant switch in approach. Coulthard, the big name lead driver for Red Bull at the time, assured Newey that the challenge of recreating his success with Horner was an exciting one. 

DON’T MISS:
Carlos Sainz maps out Ferrari 2023 targets with bold ‘not the strongest’ dig
F1 drivers respond to team principal merry-go-round as Lando Norris lands new boss
Ferrari confirm Frederic Vasseur as new boss minutes after Alfa Romeo release statement

“The opportunity with Red Bull was that it was still very much a fledgling team and trying to grow that team, with Christian, with the aspiration to win races,” Newey said. “Winning championships seemed a very distant dream at that point. It was something that really intrigued me. 

“David’s a good friend, somebody whose judgement I very much trusted, and David gave it a big thumbs-up. (Red Bull Racing) was always having big discos … was this a team that would be taken seriously? But if you went beneath that veneer, then to me it looked like, yes, it had all had all the building blocks.”

After a settling in period, Newey’s designs ultimately helped lead Horner’s team to four drivers’ titles in a row as Sebastian Vettel dominated the grid between 2010 and 2013. And now the chief technical officer, Newey still has a huge role. The 63-year-old contributed to Verstappen’s record 15 race wins in 2022, as Red Bull also finally managed to regain the constructors’ title.

Source: Read Full Article