23 October 2023 , 05:00
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Eddie Jordan thinks Red Bull could be untouchable again in 2024 after revealing a conversation he had with Adrian Newey.
Newey is Red Bull's long-serving car design chief who has played a key role in the construction of every title-winning car the team has ever created. For that, and for his previous work at McLaren and Williams, he is regarded by many as the greatest designer Formula 1 has ever seen.
While he no longer has quite as many responsibilities as was once the case, the 64-year-old is still a key cog in Red Bull's car development department. And so he knows exactly how the champions' 2024 effort is coming along.
Former F1 team owner Jordan said he recently spoke with Newey and shared what the Red Bull chief told him, which paints the picture of what is likely to be another one-sided title race next term – a worrying prediction for their rivals.
"I was at a function the other night with Adrian Newey... he tells me that he feels that the evolution of what they've got at the moment is going to be so difficult for anyone to catch up with," the Irishman told TalkSPORT.
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"So please, folks out there, prepare yourself either for a boring time or an exciting time dependent on whether you're a Red Bull fan. It's going to be similar and Max [Verstappen] is going to be so good."
Red Bull have been dominant since a swathe of car design rule changes were made ahead of the 2022 season. The Milton Keynes-based outfit adapted more quickly than any of their rivals and have reigned supreme as a result, winning the drivers' and constructors' championships at a canter in both campaigns.
Verstappen and Sergio Perez have won 33 of the 39 Grands Prix between them. And they have also used their superior machines to take 20 pole positions, 52 podium finishes and 18 fastest laps across the two seasons.
McLaren have closed the gap over the season while Mercedes have also found some improvements, but Jordan is adamant that the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris still do not have a car that is in the same league as the one Verstappen has at his disposal.
He added: "I don’t care what engine Mercedes have, the car is not at a level. And the quality aerodynamically in terms of the ability to drive it hard and to get the maximum out of it like Max Verstappen is able to do. A lot of that nevertheless, is to the sheer talent that Max has, because Checo [Perez] is not able to do the same thing as he can."