Red Bull Contentpool
F1 News
Button gives Red Bull credit for Verstappen title: 'Not all down to Newey'
2009 world champion Jenson Button has credited the Red Bull team for Max Verstappen's fourth consecutive world title, saying that the success was "not all down to Adrian Newey." The Dutchman sealed his fourth world title in a row at the Las Vegas Grand Prix after finishing ahead of Lando Norris, giving him an insurmountable 63-point lead with two races remaining.
Verstappen's first three world titles came with having Newey in the garage, but in 2024, the master designer left after the Miami Grand Prix, and coincidentally or not, that was when Red Bull Racing faced some adversity. The RB20 struggled with pace and consistency, but thanks to Verstappen's quality, he pulled out some fine performances to give him the 2024 drivers' championship.
Newey will join Aston Martin at the start of the 2025 season, mainly working towards the 2026 car. But even though there were tricky periods at the Austrian team when the Brit left, Button believes that credit should be given to Red Bull for helping Verstappen towards another world title.
Button credits Red Bull, but believes they "are missing" important aspects
"It's not all down to Adrian how they've got these cars and aerodynamics, but I think he was very good at the fine detail," Button told Sky Sports. "That's probably what they've lost with Adrian walking away. He could take a step back and they would do most of the aerodynamics, and he can pinpoint certain things like, 'No, that needs to be slightly better.' So I think they are missing that." Button said.
Needless to say, Newey is not involved in the 2025 Red Bull car, with technical director Pierre Waché saying that hard work is already taking place at the moment. The Frenchman already hinted that he is not sure Verstappen will be able to recapture the title in '25.
This article was created in collaboration with Ludo van Denderen
Want more Formula 1? Then follow GPblog on our various social media channels!