Ralf Schumacher has suggested that Red Bull will ‘sink into mediocrity’ within two seasons after claiming that the embattled constructor is ‘falling apart’ after a turbulent start to the 2024 season.

Formula One was rocked last week when news broke that chief technology officer Adrian Newey is reportedly considering moving away from the team, which he joined just a year after its debut in 2005.

Newey is widely considered the mastermind behind the constructor’s riotous success, which has seen the team’s star driver Max Verstappen claim three consecutive world championships since 2021, and the constructor win the championship in 2022 and 2023.


 

The legendary designer is contracted with Red Bull until the end of the 2025 season, and Newey has not yet publicly commented, but reports over the weekend suggested that the two parties held showdown talks to discuss his future.

The potential loss of Newey’s technical acumen would likely prove seismic for the team, which Schumacher – who previously called for team principal Christian Horner to resign – underscored on Monday.

Adrian Newey is reportedly set to call time on his 18-year stint at embattled team Red Bull
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Adrian Newey is reportedly set to call time on his 18-year stint at embattled team Red Bull

The legendary designer is thought to have held 'showdown' talks with the team (pictured with principal Christian Horner)
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The legendary designer is thought to have held ‘showdown’ talks with the team (pictured with principal Christian Horner)

Ralf Schumacher offered a bleak prognosis of the future without their chief technology officer
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Ralf Schumacher offered a bleak prognosis of the future without their chief technology officer