This year, Red Bull achieved tremendous success, but it’s not as simple as it seems. It takes a lot of hard work and determination to rise to the top of motorsport. Most of the time, we offer credit to the drivers and team managers, but we might not always recognize the work that goes on in the background. Red Bull team’s boss Christian Horner recently tells a tale about trying to bring in an individual who has been crucial in the success of the team since the beginning.

As we are all aware, Red Bull undoubtedly works under the direction of its aggressive and competitive team principal. However, what we could have overlooked is a man in the background who had worked in silence that Red Bull was able to dethrone the Silver Arrows from the constructor’s championship.

Horner, a rookie principal, as a sort of test added Adrian Newey to the team in 2005. The squad back was renowned for having a particular feel and being a fun group to hang out with. Overall, the team merely needed a technical direction to succeed, which Newey’s entry provided. Christian Horner, the team’s manager, praised Newey highly for his contributions to the group.

Horner said, “Adrian is the only man in the world who can see air. He lives in The Matrix. He has been the conductor of the technical orchestra for years now, but is still on top of it given his drawing board. I had to argue with Ron Dennis to get him out of McLaren. Of course, we’ve had highs and lows in all these years, but it’s always been fun. We got a lot of support from Dietrich Mateschitz and Helmut Marko. That allowed us to focus on becoming the best race team.” [ Translated Via Google]

READ MORE: Christian Horner Sends Out a Special Message as Red Bull and Max Verstappen Close In on Making Mercedes Suffer a Double Whammy

Possibly the most well-known designer of Formula 1 vehicles is Adrian Newey. Newey was the most sought-after individual who can boost any team, working for two top teams at their heights and assisting the teams to produce champion drivers by creating incredible models. That being said, Back in 2014, Horner appeared to be in good spirits after Ferrari’s speculative interest in the designer.

Christian Horner once briefed the reporters on Ferrari’s speculation around Adrian Newey

Back in 2014, Christian Horner had made it clear that he was prepared to reject any attempts by Ferrari to entice technical director Adrian Newey to work for the Maranello-based outfits. The team won four consecutive driver titles and the same number of constructors championships with Sebastian Vettel as their star driver between 2010-2013 thanks to the efforts of Newey.

The Red Bull vehicles that he designed and built at the time, which provided the Milton Keynes side with such consistent results, were often cited as examples of Newey’s brilliance in those days. At the same time, Ferrari saw a change in the team’s management and was eager to add F1’s top designer to their roster.

In light of this, Horner said, “It is almost an annual thing that there is speculation about his future. But he has always made clear his feeling towards the team, the paternal feeling he has for Red Bull.”

“He has been involved since the beginning and he is much more involved in this team than he has been at any other. He enjoys the environment that he is working in so I think the speculation is purely that, but you can understand why Ferrari would be looking,” Horner added.

WATCH THIS STORY: Two Decades Later Red Bull Disastrously Recreate 2002 Austrian GP

The Austrian squad had a turbulent year, and with the upcoming season starting in a few months, Red Bull will face some intense competition. Do you think Adrian Newey can assist the team successfully in defending their championship?