Adrian Newey has praised Red Bull Racing for its David vs. Goliath like showing in the 2008
Formula 1 World Championship to-date, by taking on – and beating – rivals that he says are not only '50 per cent bigger' but also have far more resources at their disposal.
The Milton Keynes-based squad does indeed seem to have turned a corner in terms of performance and – even more significantly still – reliability this season, with seven points-scoring finishes and a podium from the opening nine races, leaving the energy drinks-backed outfit sitting just two points shy of fourth-placed
Toyota in the constructors' world championship. That, chief technical officer Newey argues, is no mean feat.
“It's very tight,” he acknowledged, speaking exclusively to
Crash.net Radio during last weekend's Goodwood Festival of Speed. “The regulations have been pretty stable for the last three years, so all the teams are starting to get quite close to each other.
“The car seems to be good on the high-speed tracks, so
Silverstone certainly suited us last time out. It's just a matter of trying to make sure we're competitive at all the different tracks we go to.”
The British Grand Prix, indeed, ultimately turned out to be a high and a low all in one go for
Red Bull, with
Mark Webber sensationally achieving the team's maiden front row starting position in 62 races in the top flight since its entry back in 2005, only to spin it away again on the very first lap.
“It was good because we were competitive in qualifying,” former
Williams and
McLaren design genius Newey underlined. “I think the fact that it was quite windy and that it is a high-speed circuit suited us. We were competitive, and it was all looking good until about four corners in on the first lap…”
Now looking ahead to the German Grand Prix this weekend, the 49-year-old is cautiously optimistic, if guarded about RBR's chances of regaining that coveted fourth spot in the constructors' standings before the season is out.
