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Former Red Bull engineer explains why he is 'comfortable' to join McLaren rival F1 team

The most prominent member of Red Bull's backroom technical crew to leave in the past two years is Adrian Newey. Rob Marshall, who switched to McLaren and instantly supervised their remarkable recovery in fortunes,

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Varun Sarwate
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ROB MARS

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The most prominent member of Red Bull's backroom technical crew to leave in the past two years is Adrian Newey. The renowned designer will join rivals Aston Martin in March to assist them in developing their 2026 vehicle after departing the club after 18 years of the previous season. Rob Marshall, who switched to McLaren and instantly supervised their remarkable recovery in fortunes, and Newey's departure came after another high-profile departure last year. 

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Since McLaren finished the previous season with the greatest package, Marshall is credited with creating the "secret sauce" for their vehicle. In addition to redesigning a large portion of the MCL38's rear suspension last year, the team was able to surpass Red Bull in the development race. Given McLaren's dismal 2023 start, there were concerns about Marshall's motivation for leaving Red Bull at the pinnacle of their power. 

He discussed the factors that led him to make the change in an interview with GPBlog.com. ”I think I was finding stuff a bit too easy, a bit too comfortable. ”Now I’m absolutely glad I went, and I’m really happy that I left Red Bull the right way. You’d like to think no one wants to be indispensable but they’ve been able to manage without me, which is great for them.” said Marshall.''

McLaren won the Constructors title with the help of Rob Marshall

During his tenure at Red Bull, Marshall helped the team win seven titles. He also won titles with Renault when they were successful with Fernando Alonso, giving him a remarkable record in Formula One. The hiring of Marshall was McLaren's greatest move from a top team, although many factors went into their recent success. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri helped McLaren become a championship contender this year, and even though they didn't have the fastest vehicle to finish with, they won their first Constructors' Championship since 1998.

Formula 1 Red Bull McLaren F1
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