Red Bull chief Waché in awe of Newey: "I will never be like him"

After almost two decades of loyal service, Adrian Newey is closing the door behind him at Red Bull Racing after Q1 of next year. Technical director Pierre Waché worked for many years with the top designer, who has been something of a teacher to him even this far into his career.

Waché says he learned a lot from Newey and therefore respects his colleague immensely. "He was more than an inspiration. He is a legend. He deserves all the credit for working hard, for living for his work and for always wanting to win," the 49-year-old Frenchman told Auto, Motor und Sport.

"What I learned from him is that despite all those titles and victories, he remained technically unbiased. At his age, being open to everything is a remarkable quality, because as you get older, you often become blind to certain things. That's how I feel sometimes," Waché continued.

However dedicated he is to his work for the Austrian Formula 1 team, Waché never sees himself reaching Newey's level. "I will never achieve what he did. I will never become like him because I could never develop the total passion as he has," concludes Red Bull's technical director.

This article has been written in collaboration with Ben Stevens.