Losing Adrian Newey has cost Red Bull its dominance, claims F1 legend: "What's the one thing that they've lost?"

F1 legend Nigel Mansell feels that losing Adrian Newey has cost Red Bull its dominance over the grid. The Austrian team has outperformed every other team in the ground effect era as the cars produced by the aero wizard were ahead of their time, and no one in the field could seem to keep up.

This was one of the reasons why Max Verstappen and Red Bull dominated and won the title in 2022 after early season competition from Ferrari and Charles Leclerc. In 2023, the team and driver took dominance to a whole other level with Red Bull losing just one race in the entire season. Max Verstappen also won 19 races in the year, setting a new record for most wins in a season.

The 2024 F1 season also began on a strong note but things didn't pan out Red Bull's way as soon as McLaren introduced the major upgrade in Miami. Since then, Max Verstappen has faced competition from Lando Norris, and in the last few races, the Dutch driver's car has even been 3rd or 4th fastest.

Nigel Mansell won his sole F1 title in a car that was designed by Adrian Newey himself in 1992. In an exclusive interview with Top Offshore Sportsbooks on October 2, the former F1 driver was asked for his comments on Newey's move to Aston Martin in 2025.

Mansell felt that the ace designer was going to have a great time at the new team and was quick to point out how his former team's dominance had ended since the designer left. He said,

“I think it’s a marvellous opportunity for him (Adrian Newey). And I think the fact that he’s gone to Aston Martin is so wise because he won’t get caught up in the politics of Ferrari and the hype that goes with that. I think Ferrari should be licking their wounds a little bit because they should have got him, but all credit to Aston Martin."

Speculating on the positive impact Newey could have on Aston Martin next year, Mansell added:

"I think what he can do at Aston Martin could be his biggest achievement to come yet because I think he can turn that team around very quickly. I think next year they’re going to be even more competitive than what they’ve been this year. And Red Bull, they’ve already just demonstrated without him, they’ve lost their dominance. What’s the one thing that they’ve lost? Adrian Newey.”

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Adrian Newey's manager on why Aston Martin was the next team after Red Bull for the designer

Adrian Newey will be moving to Aston Martin in 2025 as the Silverstone-based team becomes the new home for the designer after Red Bull. In light of his move, Newey's manager Eddie Jordan revealed that the decision to go with Lawrence Stroll's team stemmed from the involvement of Honda and Andy Cowell in the project. Eddie said (via PlanetF1):

“I think Honda being a partner from ’26 will be important to Adrian, because he believes to have a strategic manufacturer online is crucially important. To have Andy Cowell there, who we know – what a brilliant man."

Talking about Cowell's successful stint at Mercedes, Jordan further said,

"And he (Cowell) was the man behind all of those successes at Mercedes, [a] genius, and that hasn’t gone unnoticed that he’s obviously now in the fold with them. With Honda and with Adrian and with the people that he will get together, I have no doubt that it’s good."

With Red Bull experiencing a slump in performance and losing a lot of resources, many are speculating whether Adrian Newey's new home could end up being the team that ends the Austrian squad's F1 run in the coming seasons.