Max Verstappen and Adrian Newey did not get on with each other personally, claims F1 insider in a shocking revelation

F1 insider Craig Slater has revealed that Max Verstappen and Adrian Newey did not get on well at Red Bull on a personal level, even though professionally it was fine. The revelation does come as a surprise, as Newey and Verstappen have been pivotal for the Austrian squad's recent success in F1.

Adrian Newey joined the team in 2006 and was one of the first major signings by Red Bull when it began its F1 journey. The aero wizard was instrumental in helping the Austrian team start dominating the sport from 2010 onwards.

The dominance continued until 2013 and would abruptly end in 2014 when the Mercedes power unit left everyone in its wake. When Red Bull finally got a competitive power unit from Honda and a potent driver in Max Verstappen, the team returned to winning ways once again.

It was this combination that broke the 7-year drought in 2021 when Max Verstappen won his first championship. It was only in 2024, when Adrian Newey decided to leave, that Red Bull experienced a decline.

There were suggestions that Max Verstappen would follow Adrian Newey to Aston Martin, but for the time being, it does appear that he could potentially head to Mercedes if he is considering leaving the team. Talking about the Dutch driver on the Sky Sports segment 'Ted's Podbook,' Craig Slater revealed that the driver and the aero wizard did not get on personally. He said:

"He also pointed [out] that he did not want to comment on Perez’s claim that since Adrian Newey has gone, that’s been the trigger of all Red Bull’s issues. People tell me that they did not have… I’m not saying Max and Adrian Newey had a kind of problem relationship at Red Bull. But I’m not sure that they were the closest of companions in arms, if you like. That’s been expressed to me.”

Max Verstappen and Adrian Newey worked fine professionally

When Max Verstappen joined Red Bull in 2016, Adrian Newey was already an F1 legend by that time. He had, however, taken a step back when it came to being involved with the team because the Renault power unit was just too big a handicap.

Once Honda joined and made serious improvements, Newey was back on board and was a key part of Verstappen's success. Talking about the duo, Craig Slater revealed that even though the two personalities didn't gel, there was mutual respect between the two. He said:

"Professionally, I do think they hold each other in high regard, but what I’m saying is it’s been expressed by one or two people that they didn’t maybe click as personalities.”

As we're looking forward to the F1 Austrian GP, Adrian Newey is working away at Aston Martin for next year's challenger, while Max Verstappen appears to be unsure what direction his F1 future will take.