McLaren's aero maestro on why he stepped out of Adrian Newey's shadow at Red Bull to join the Woking-based squad

McLaren's aero maestro Rob Marshall has opened up on what made him step out of Adrian Newey's shadow at Red Bull and take on a new challenge. Marshall had been a part of the Milton Keynes-based outfit since 2006 when Newey himself had just joined the squad.

Since then, he'd been the chief designer on the team and overseen the success when Red Bull and Sebastian Vettel won 4 consecutive titles from 2010 to 2013. He was a part of the team as well when the squad went through a lean phase where the power unit deficiency hurt the team extensively. Marshall was also a part of the squad when the team once again climbed to the top in F1 with Max Verstappen.

It was in 2023, however, that Rob Marshall decided that it was time to do something else. It was at that time that McLaren came calling, and he made the move.

In an interview with GP Blog, Marshall said that while he was quite comfortable and content working with Red Bull, when the call came from McLaren, he couldn't decline (as quoted by F1i.com)

“From a personal point of view, they [McLaren] asked me at the right time. I was at a point where I thought, if I don’t move to another team now, I’m probably here forever. I was happy to be there forever as I really enjoyed my time at Red Bull, it was a great place to work, but then you get to the stage where you’re going stale, you’re in denial.”

Revealing how he was finding his time at the Austrian outfit a little mundane and 'too comfortable', Marshall added:

“I think I was finding stuff a bit too easy, a bit too comfortable. You knew everybody, you had to get everything done. It was all a bit slick. And I’m thinking, well, you know, five, six, seven years, that’d be happier, then I retire. Then the phone rings saying, ‘do you want to leave?’. And you’re about to say, ‘no', and for some reason, you just can’t.”"

Marshall's move to McLaren proved fruitful, as it has helped him step out of Adrian Newey's shadow and become a key member of a team that won the constructors championship last season.

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Rob Marshall happy that Red Bull has continued to prosper after his move to McLaren

Rob Marshall said that when the call came from McLaren, he was pushed into thinking long and hard about whether he wanted to stay or leave the team. In the end, he realized that one of the reasons why he was thinking so much about the move was because he wanted to explore the new option at hand.

Looking back, Marshall admitted that he was happy that he didn't leave Red Bull in a situation where the team faced a major jolt and was able to continue prospering even after his exit.

“Because at that point, you kind of go, ‘yeah, I’ve been kidding myself. I think it’s probably time to go.’ And at that point, you’re going. If there’s any doubt, you’re going," Marshall said (via the aforementioned source). "I don’t think you can turn back. If you’ve thought about it long and hard. If you think long and hard about leaving, then you’re gone.”

Reflecting on the turn of events and claiming how it all turned out well for all parties involved, he added:

“Now I’m absolutely glad I went, and I’m really happy that I left Red Bull the right way. You’d like to think no one wants to be indispensable but they’ve clearly been able to manage without me, which is great for them. You don’t want to leave anywhere in the lurch.”

Since joining McLaren, Rob Marshall has grown in prominence and has left Adrian Newey's shadow in terms of getting credit for the work he's done.