One of the most successful engineers in the history of F1, Newey has been a mainstay of Red Bull since he joined in 2006, contributing to the outfit's 13 world titles – seven in the drivers' championship with Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen plus six in the constructors'.
Having taken up different projects in the Red Bull group since 2014, Newey stepped back from the daily management of F1 technical affairs as Wache was promoted to technical director in 2018. Although he is nearing retirement, the 65-year-old Brit remains involved in designing the team's machines, and his contribution is commended as paramount to their competitiveness.
"He’s irreplaceable, yes – you cannot replace him!" Wache told Autosport. "On a daily basis, he’s not part of our process. He’s more coming from the sideways and trying to help us or challenge us on different aspects of the team – it could be mechanical design, aero or vehicle dynamics."
Newey's experience is deemed invaluable after nearly two decades at Red Bull as well as previous successful stints at Williams and McLaren, with Wache reckoning the team's stalwart has "the most experience of the full grid in terms of engineering" and agreeing he now acts as a mentor to the squad.
Source: Autosport