I told him to stay. Verstappen was asked about Newey’s departure – F1sport.cz

Max Verstappen was of course asked in Miami about Adrian Newey’s departure from Red Bull.

“Obviously I would prefer Adrian to stay,” Verstappen told Sky. “And I told Adrian that too.”

However, according to Verstappen, it is right that Newey put himself first in his decision. “You have to do what you think is best for you because at the end of the day F1 is a bit of a shark tank and I think it’s very important that you think about yourself to make the right decision for you and your family. So I’m not surprised at him. When someone wants to leave, they go and pursue other goals or things in life. It’s perfectly fine.”

Verstappen, like Pérez, does not think Newey’s departure will have a negative impact on Red Bull.

“The technical team that we have outside of Adrian is very, very strong and has basically shown that in the last few years in how competitive the car is,” said Verstappen, as quoted by Autosport. “So it looks very dramatic from the outside, but if you know what’s going on inside the team, it’s not as dramatic as it seems.”

Even before Newey’s end, there was speculation about Verstappen’s departure to Mercedes. Now that speculation continues. Verstappen reiterated that he would have no reason to leave the team as long as he was satisfied with the performance of their car and the environment at Red Bull.

“For me it’s not about the money. Of course, I am already very happy with what I have in the team. In the end it’s really important to have the fastest car possible and of course a good environment, and that’s what we currently have and that’s what I’m asking for. If the environment is right and we have the fastest car, then it’s quite simple.”