Red Bull boss reveals technical mastermind Adrian Newey has 'moved away' from day-to-day operations

Red Bull boss Christian Horner has revealed that chief designer Adrian Newey has stepped away from day-to-day operations in the outfit.

The Austrian team recently took part in the 2023 pre-season testing in Bahrain, with Max Verstappen topping the time charts in both sessions on Day 1.

Newey, aged 64, has been a crucial part of the Milton-Keynes outfit and has helped them win six constructors' titles over the years. However, the Briton has now stepped away from daily operations but pops his head in from time to time.

Horner, however, claims that Newey is only a call away should the team need him. He claims that Red Bull's technical staff is currently better than it has ever been - putting the team in safe hands for the 2023 season. The team heads into the season as defending champions in both categories and will be hoping to keep it that way come year's end.

Speaking to AMuS, Christian Horner said:

“Over the past few years, Adrian has moved away from day-to-day work in Formula 1. He now divides his time between cutting-edge technology and the championship. I think 50% of his time is devoted to Formula 1. He’s in the office a couple of days a week. But when his help is needed, the technical team can always bring him in.”

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Red Bull to reportedly run a lighter chassis in 2023

Red Bull will reportedly run a lighter chassis in 2023 despite team principal Christian Horner claiming the team is not working on changes. The 2022 constructors' champions have been slapped on the wrist with hefty reprimands for the upcoming season.

Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that the team's 2023 F1 car could be up to three kgs lighter than the 2022 title-winning RB18.

There has been no official confirmation from Milton Keynes just yet. However, it will be interesting to see whether Max Verstappen and the squad can capitalize on the lighter chassis and dominate as they did last year.

Red Bull were to introduce a lighter chassis in the last six races of 2022 but decided against it. Verstappen was well on his way to securing his second title in the sport at the time.

The Dutchman dominated the rest of the grid last year, wrapping up the title in Japan with four races to go. Christian Horner spoke out last year on rumors of a lighter chassis and declared them unfounded. He told Sky Sports F1:

“Well, I don’t know where these rumors permeate from. But no, there’s no plans to introduce a lighter chassis. So you know, we keep going. We’re in good shape.”

Meanwhile, Ferrari have reportedly developed a lighter chassis for their 2023 car as well, potentially eliminating the tire degradation issues they faced last year.