Christian Horner has dismissed rumours regarding Adrian Newey, saying that the media overplayed his return.
Newey suffered injuries from a cycling accident, and was absent from Red Bull’s trackside team two for a while. His absence also coincided with Red Bull being second-best for a few race weekends.
Upon the Chief Technical Officer’s return, Red Bull’s fortunes have turned, and they have been better than their rivals for the last two races. Many attributed the success to his return, and suggested that Red Bull’s poor patch of form was down to his absence.
Horner dismissed rumours regarding Newey, and said that although he was a crucial element of the team, his return was not the main reason for their revival in fortunes.
“Things get blown out of proportion sometimes,” Horner said, as quoted by Race Fans.
“Obviously he had an accident whilst he was on holiday and thankfully he’s back, fully fit, has been for a few weeks now.
“He was in Istanbul and here (in Austin) and is in good shape,” he concluded.
Momentum swing
Whether it is Newey’s return or not, Red Bull have looked reinvigorated in the last few races. They slashed the gap they trailed by in the Constructors’ Championship, and extended their lead in the Drivers’ Championship.
They are now the favourites to win the WDC. The Constructors’ Championship will be a little tricky, but they are still very much in the hunt to win their first title since 2013. A double would be the absolute dream scenario.
With Horner, Newey, Helmut Marko and the rest of the team doing their best, they will stop at nothing to get back on top of the F1 mountain after eight years. In that period, they have often been second and third-best, which was not what they envisioned.
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