Hakkinen fears for Verstappen after Newey leaves: 'That's worrying for Max'

It has been the hottest topic in the Formula 1 paddock for days now: the announced departure of Adrian Newey at Red Bull Racing. While fellow teams dream of the master designer's arrival, many are also wondering how Red Bull will move forward. Is Red Bull too dependent on mastermind Newey? Mika Hakkinen, who secured his two world titles in Newey-designed McLarens, also asks these questions.

On the Unibet site, the Finn calls it "incredible" that Newey decided to leave after only a quarter of the current F1 season, just as the RB20 is dominating the sport. Hakkinen says this is extraordinary news: "First of all because of the impact it has, if key personnel decide to follow him," the current analyst argues.

"Either due to the politics inside the team, or if they discover that Adrian is going to another team such as Ferrari. The second is whether the remaining team feels destabilised by these events. When a team loses a key figure someone else needs to fill that role immediately, otherwise, you have confusion."

Verstappen to Mercedes after Newey's departure?

Finally, Hakkinen wonders what effect all this will have on Max Verstappen. The Finn expects the Dutchman to still reap the benefits of Newey's work this season and the next. After that? "Adrian will have already started to conceive that design, but he won’t be around to finalise or deliver it, and what's more worrying for Max is the prospect for Adrian to be working for another team by this time next year." Said Hakkinen, who, by no means, rules out Verstappen switching to Mercedes.