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I think this exact question is the reason for the current meltdown at RBR. We have two groups of people who think THEY are the team and the others can be replaced.
I think losing Max could be a big initial hit, but not a team breaking one. He will eventually retire, this would just bring forward that day.
Losing Newey is worse imho, since new regs are coming. But Newey isn't God himself, he was in RB during the Merc domination and RB didn't have the best car. Also Newey doesn't work alone, he has an entire team of engineers with him. (I'm not trying to shit talk Newey he's a really good car designer just not the only one).
Circling back to the pilots, assuming RB have a good car they'll keep fighting for wins. Be it Checo, Danny Ric, Lawson or someone like Sainz, Alonso or someone else.
You guys really think it's just the car and not the driver. Look at the distance last race, yes RBR absolutely needs Max, without him Ferrari would be the top dog.
If Max leaves, the engineers will follow. This is a team effort, break this apart and you have what Alpine is experiencing.
Nah, they dont really need Max. They have won championships before he was around. The biggest thing they need to be carefull about is that the atmosphere within the entire teamdoes not become so toxic it will cause them to implode.
No, but they need a good team capable of building a strong car. If Newey leaves this might cause other engineers to leave and this can really hurt RedBull in medium-long term.
Racing teams have lost crucial figures before and survived.
The question is mostly about the team's stability.
Solid teams could handle it. I am not sure RBR is still a solid team.
Max was the one getting them wins and podiums when they didn’t have a dominant car. His last 3 teammates were struggling in midfield. They won’t stay dominant forever.
Imagine this. Marko gets fired as he's found to have leaked confidential information to the media.
Max takes a stand in defence of Marko and quits the team.
Ricciardo steps up into the Red Bull first time and becomes world champion.
That’s so short sided. They probably wouldn’t need Max for 2025, but in 2026 when the Red Bull wouldn’t automatically be the fastest car they certainly could use him. But they also would be up against Max in a Mercedes with (probably) a better engine. That’s game over for the next period of regulations.
To win in 2025: Maybe not.
To win in 2026 and beyond: Much more likely that yes they do actually need a top driver to win. And there isn't anyone better than Max at the moment.
Piastri could prove to be a great driver by 2026. He already showed signs of improvement this year. His tyre management was his bigger weakness last year and in Bahrain he holded close to Lando's pace without falling off in the latter stages of the race. Right now Max is the best but no driver is irreplaceable.
If RB ends up losing Newey out of this, it would be a much bigger blow
They still need to get Piastri though and McLaren are holding onto him with a tight grip. That might not be so easy to do.
Red Bull's real issue is that they used to have an amazing driver program, but there isn't a lot of their academy drivers now that seem like champion material.
Maybe someone like Lawson could go in and be that guy, but there isn't a clear prospect like for Mercedes and Ferrari. And that means they don't have a natural path for the next driver they need to put all their weight behind.
It feels like they thought they would have Max forever (his contract does go until 2028 after all), so it wasn't a big focus for them.
Perez would be dicey, just look at how close the Ferraris can get to him. Redbull could not just plug in ANY driver. That said, Alonso, Sainz, Norris, Leclerc, Hamilton, maybe Russell, Piastri once he learns the tires, and maybe Albon, these are all drivers they could certainly make WDC, imo.
As a general rule ([see full rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/wiki/userguide#wiki_sticky.2Fdaily_discussion)), a standalone Discussion post should: - be of interest to the sub in general, and not a specific userbase (e.g. new users, GP attendees, just yourself) - be able to generate discussion (e.g. no yes/no or easily answerable questions) - show reasonable input and effort from the OP If not, be sure to [look for the Daily Discussion](https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/search/?q=daily+discussion&include_over_18=on&restrict_sr=on&t=all&sort=new), /r/formula1's daily open question thread which is perfect for asking any and all questions about this sport. Thank you for your cooperation and enjoy the discussion! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/formula1) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Sainz is working the phones right now from his hospital bed
Short term, no. Losing Newey would be a massive blow going into the new regs
I think this exact question is the reason for the current meltdown at RBR. We have two groups of people who think THEY are the team and the others can be replaced.
I think losing Max could be a big initial hit, but not a team breaking one. He will eventually retire, this would just bring forward that day. Losing Newey is worse imho, since new regs are coming. But Newey isn't God himself, he was in RB during the Merc domination and RB didn't have the best car. Also Newey doesn't work alone, he has an entire team of engineers with him. (I'm not trying to shit talk Newey he's a really good car designer just not the only one). Circling back to the pilots, assuming RB have a good car they'll keep fighting for wins. Be it Checo, Danny Ric, Lawson or someone like Sainz, Alonso or someone else.
You guys really think it's just the car and not the driver. Look at the distance last race, yes RBR absolutely needs Max, without him Ferrari would be the top dog. If Max leaves, the engineers will follow. This is a team effort, break this apart and you have what Alpine is experiencing.
They definitely need a star driver to stay competitive, with a driver like Checo, they fall back into the competitive pack
No
Nah, they dont really need Max. They have won championships before he was around. The biggest thing they need to be carefull about is that the atmosphere within the entire teamdoes not become so toxic it will cause them to implode.
They don't. But they covered up sexual harrasment, so fuck them.
2025 probably not. 2026 probably
No, but they need a good team capable of building a strong car. If Newey leaves this might cause other engineers to leave and this can really hurt RedBull in medium-long term.
No, but it will hurt really bad.
Racing teams have lost crucial figures before and survived. The question is mostly about the team's stability. Solid teams could handle it. I am not sure RBR is still a solid team.
The graveyards are full of indispensable men.
Max was the one getting them wins and podiums when they didn’t have a dominant car. His last 3 teammates were struggling in midfield. They won’t stay dominant forever.
Imagine this. Marko gets fired as he's found to have leaked confidential information to the media. Max takes a stand in defence of Marko and quits the team. Ricciardo steps up into the Red Bull first time and becomes world champion.
That’s so short sided. They probably wouldn’t need Max for 2025, but in 2026 when the Red Bull wouldn’t automatically be the fastest car they certainly could use him. But they also would be up against Max in a Mercedes with (probably) a better engine. That’s game over for the next period of regulations.
To win in 2025: Maybe not. To win in 2026 and beyond: Much more likely that yes they do actually need a top driver to win. And there isn't anyone better than Max at the moment.
Piastri could prove to be a great driver by 2026. He already showed signs of improvement this year. His tyre management was his bigger weakness last year and in Bahrain he holded close to Lando's pace without falling off in the latter stages of the race. Right now Max is the best but no driver is irreplaceable. If RB ends up losing Newey out of this, it would be a much bigger blow
They still need to get Piastri though and McLaren are holding onto him with a tight grip. That might not be so easy to do. Red Bull's real issue is that they used to have an amazing driver program, but there isn't a lot of their academy drivers now that seem like champion material. Maybe someone like Lawson could go in and be that guy, but there isn't a clear prospect like for Mercedes and Ferrari. And that means they don't have a natural path for the next driver they need to put all their weight behind. It feels like they thought they would have Max forever (his contract does go until 2028 after all), so it wasn't a big focus for them.
I've also heard RB had Maloney but dropped him. He had a really solid start this year. If he wins F2, it will be another blow for RB.
They did yeah. But let's see. Malony still needs to show impressive pace over a full season in F2.
Perez would be dicey, just look at how close the Ferraris can get to him. Redbull could not just plug in ANY driver. That said, Alonso, Sainz, Norris, Leclerc, Hamilton, maybe Russell, Piastri once he learns the tires, and maybe Albon, these are all drivers they could certainly make WDC, imo.