Former Ferrari Formula 1 engineer Ernest Knoors has predicted that a mass exodus could occur at Red Bull in the circumstance where Adrian Newey leaves the team.
Reports that Newey will end his near two-decade stint with Red Bull have gathered strength in the last week and seen the design guru linked with a move elsewhere.
Knoors, who also worked with BMW, has suggested that a possible departure could have further implications for Red Bull as other technical figures could exit as well.
Speaking with RacingNews365, Knoors compared the potential predicament at Red Bull with what he endured when Ferrari’s dominance came to an end from 2005.
“I went through this myself at Ferrari,” explained Knoors. “At one point the Michael Schumacher period came to an end there, Ross Brawn then also left.
“When such a leading person decides to go, it’s always something you have to wonder about: where is this going?”
“It makes people, engineers, and mechanics, more open to offers from other teams. And you always have that with a team that performs at the top of its game for a very long time.”
“At some point, people then start looking around, maybe the people who are not quite at the top. Are there opportunities? Are there openings on other teams where they can step up?”
Some reports have indicated Newey, 65, has been less involved than in previous periods, with Red Bull Technical Director Pierre Wache spearheading its dominance.
“Whether Wache has more influence doesn’t really matter that much,” Knoors argued.
“When such a leading figure of your team and such a greatness leaves, it always creates question marks with the people who work under it. It creates unrest in that organization.
Knoors accentuated the massive value of achieving a stable atmosphere within the team and emphasized that Red Bull not achieving that could prompt more exits.
He also questioned the role that Team Principal Christian Horner has on Red Bull, as it’s understood the saga involving his name could be a factor in Newey’s choice.
“It is the big risk for Red Bull. The stability of the team. What else is going to happen? Who else is going to leave?” he continued.
“At some point a strong leader, in this case Christian Horner, does have to make sure he keeps enough techies and bright minds in that team.
“And is Christian Horner currently the undisputed and impeccable leader who can provide that? That may well be questionable.”
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