04 January 2024 , 06:00
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Red Bull's long-serving car design tsar Adrian Newey feels a Formula 1 rule change helped his team to dominate the 2023 championship.
Red Bull were so far ahead of their rivals in terms of race pace that they very nearly enjoyed an unbeaten season. Only on a rare off-weekend for the champions did another team sneak a victory, when Carlos Sainz won at the Singapore Grand Prix.
Otherwise, it was a flawless season for the Milton Keynes-based squad. And their dominance meant they were able to switch development focus to their 2024 car much earlier than any of their rivals.
They managed it also despite a tweak to the rules regarding the height of the rear floor of the car from the track. It was made in a bid to eliminate the 'porpoising' phenomenon that was seen in 2022 and saw the rear floor raised by 15mm, while the diffuser height was also increased.
Speaking to The Race, Newey admitted there were some of his colleagues who were concerned that it would have a detrimental impact on their performance. However, he spotted a reason to advise the team against fighting the change.
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"The interesting thing about that was, when the change was announced last year, we were discussing it internally," he said. "Some of our guys were saying, 'No, we've got to really fight this'.
"But I took the view that actually in the high-speed corners last year we were probably behind Ferrari. Our car was getting itself into problems in the very high speed so, actually, that reg change might suit us - so we didn't really push against it too much. It turned out it seems it has suited us."
Such an example proves Newey, 65, still brings a lot to the table for his Red Bull team. While he no longer has as much influence over the day-to-day running of the design department, his experience and insight remains invaluable - as does his work as a mentor to his colleagues.
Technical director Pierre Wache leads the department and team principal Christian Horner feels they are well-placed for when Newey eventually decides to spend less time working. "Adrian is a big part of this team and big part of what we've achieved but, of course, his role has evolved over the last few years," he said.
"The technical team beneath him led by Pierre Wache, they're doing a wonderful job and so that they're not reliant on Adrian. He has the ability to come in, come out and work on other projects and I think that's part of the evolution of any team."