GreenBkk Formula 1 | Newey: Sniping from rivals annoying

Newey: Sniping from rivals annoying

Red Bull design guru Adrian Newey admits all the "sniping" from rival teams about some of the innovations on the RB6 got "annoying after a while".

The RB6 was by far the fastest car on the grid in 2010, but a season is rarely complete without complaints from rival teams about some of the designs.

This year their ability to run low ride-heights in qualifying and their front wing, which some claimed were a little too flexible, proved to be big talking points.

Both the devices were declared legal by the FIA and Newey says the "sniping" from the opposition throughout the season got a bit tiring.

"It was a season that was a long and hard one, I must admit," he told Autosport. "It was marked by a lot of sniping which was a bit tiring after a while more than anything - that people could not just get on.

"It was the usual thing to try and consider it flattery but when you are always being popped at, it does get annoying after a while."

The RB6 helped Red Bull to win their maiden Championships this year, but Newey says they weren't always sure about the car at the start of the season.

"When we first came out with the car we weren't really sure where we were going to be with it, to be honest," he said.

"There were some reasonable rule changes over the winter, with the ban on refuelling and the smaller front tyre, and the fact that like most other teams we were developing a car with a double-diffuser by design so it was very difficult to forecast where we were going to end up.

"Through the winter testing we tried to just concentrate on our own programme and not get too phased by what people were or were not doing. We introduced a reasonable package just before the start of the first race and off we went from there."

All the focus is now on next year's challenger, the RB7.

When asked if their new car can be a better than its predecessors, Newey said: "I think it is impossible to forecast.

"The truth is - and that is the great thing about motor racing - that things can change very quickly as we all know. If other people do a better job than we do over the winter then it will change."

Credit: PlanetF1.com (www.planetf1.com)