F1 | Red Bull: Horner “recalls” Newey, but stabilizes Moneghan

Adrian Newey is in Monte Carlo for a promotion plan for the RB17, the hypercar that the “genius” has completed, but he didn’t hesitate for a moment to put his headphones in the Red Bull Racing garage to try to lend a hand to Max Verstappen and find a decent set-up on the RB20 which jumped like a kangaroo. It is a sign that there was not a traumatic rupture after the events that tainted the air within the Milton Keynes team after the Horner case. In the team’s plans there are other scheduled appearances for Adrian: reportedly Silverstone and Mexico City, in a parallel program between hypercars and F1.

In Monte Carlo we also saw a disturbing element like Jos Verstappen and for the moment he has not fired his bombs which could be destabilizing in a team that needs to find tranquility again, given that it seems to have lost the technical advantage that the Red Bull could have shown off at the beginning of the season.

Team principal Christian Horner is trying to stabilize the team: with the exit of Adrian Newey, the English manager has tried to tighten the bolts of the technical staff. The agreements of Pierre Waché as technical director and Enrico Balbo as aerodynamic manager as well as BenWaterhouse, head of engineering, have been extended. The Frenchman renounced the flattery of Ferrari who wanted him, preferring to take up the Newey legacy after having suffered a certain “jealousy” towards Adrian, given that the whole world recognized the “genius” for the inventions on the cars and not the group he direct.

Pierre now has the opportunity to demonstrate the value of the Milton Keynes engineers, while Horner is working to establish the team’s cornerstones, before the design of the 2026 single-seater begins which will represent the transition into a new technical era of F1.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20

Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images

Among the news from Monte Carlo there are rumors of a long-term renewal of Paul Moneghan, the head of the track engineers, another figure who has been part of the team’s furnishings since the beginning of its history, given that he was already part of Jaguar which later transformed into Red Bull. Paul had received some attractive offers, but seems keen to give continuity to his story while remaining faithful to Horner.

A similar argument could also be made for Jonathan Wheatley: the sporting director, in Horner’s moment of greatest crisis, also hoped for a promotion from team principal. A man of great experience, he could have several options in the paddock, but Jonathan would also be oriented towards giving stability to Red Bull.

In the past, Newey’s exit from Williams and McLaren had caused collapses in their respective teams. Horner is perfectly aware of all this and is trying to maintain that network of trusted technicians so as not to suffer the exit of Adrian who, at least in Monaco, seems to have had a bit of nostalgia for his role…