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Horner confident in Newey's F1 drive

Horner confident in Newey's F1 drive

Christian Horner is adamant the genius behind Red Bull’s dominance in recent years has not lost his appetite for success.

Chief technical officer Adrian Newey has provided the creative spark that has allowed Red Bull, and Sebastian Vettel in particular, to win four consecutive constructors’ and drivers’ titles respectively.

Newey, however, recently made clear his disenchantment with the present state of F1 in light of the new regulations.

The Red Bull chief suggested the technical aspect of F1, with the arrival of the so-called ‘greener’ 1.6-litre V6 turbo-charged power units, was now “slightly questionable”.

From a sporting perspective, given the shift in emphasis towards what he cited as “efficiency, strategy and economy of driving”, Newey claimed that was more suited to sports cars than F1, which he feels “should be about man and machine performing at its maximum every single lap”.

The inference was Newey had lost interest, but Horner insists he is up for the challenge of returning Red Bull to the front in light of Mercedes’ lightning start to the 2014 campaign.

Asked whether Newey was as motivated as ever, Horner replied: “Absolutely. Adrian is one of the most driven people, if not the most driven person, I’ve ever met.

“He’s passionate about Formula One, a purist, and he speaks from the heart.”

Ahead of this weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix, Horner added: “It was always going to take a few races to see how this formula unfolds.

“We had two extremes (of racing) in two weeks, and things will start to settle down.”


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