Zak Brown, the McLaren chief executive, says he is “not surprised” that Red Bull have “regressed” following the high-profile exits of Adrian Newey, Rob Marshall and Jonathan Wheatley.

Despite the team’s ongoing success with Max Verstappen, Red Bull have lost a number of key figures over recent years.

Zak Brown ‘not surprised’ by Red Bull woes

Marshall became the first senior member to announce his exit in May 2023, helping McLaren end their 26-year wait for a Constructors’ Championship in his first season as chief designer in 2024.

Newey, the most decorated individual in F1 history with involvement in more than 200 race wins and a combined 26 Drivers’ and Constructors’ titles, confirmed his move from Red Bull to Aston Martin last year.

The announcement of Newey’s departure last May was followed weeks later by the news that Jonathan Wheatley, Red Bull’s long-serving sporting director, was to become the team principal of the Sauber/Audi F1 outfit.

The 58-year-old took up his new role ahead of last month’s Japanese Grand Prix.

Andrea Stella and Zak Brown: McLaren’s hierarchy in depth

👉 Who is Andrea Stella? From Michael Schumacher’s engineer to McLaren team principal

👉 Zak Brown car collection: The legendary machines owned by the McLaren boss

Although Verstappen clinched a fourth consecutive title in 2024, Red Bull have suffered a noticeable competitive decline over the last 12 months with the reigning World Champion limited to just a single race victory so far this season.

Having initially played down the significance of Newey’s departure, Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko recently admitted “of course we’re missing a man like that” before reiterating his confidence in the team’s strength in depth.

Speaking to Dutch publication De Telegraaf, Brown has claimed that it is no great shock that Red Bull’s performance level has waned following the loss of such key pillars behind the team’s success.

He said: “Am I surprised that Red Bull has regressed? No, I’m not surprised.

“When you lose guys like Adrian Newey, Rob Marshall, Jonathan Wheatley and probably others, this is not surprising.

“And from what I read of it, it is mostly said from Red Bull that they will not miss them. But that’s what it looks like.

“Rob Marshall now works for us as chief designer and is a very smart engineer.

“I see what he has brought to our team. He is doing a fantastic job.”

More on McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri from PlanetF1.com

👉 Lando Norris news

👉 Oscar Piastri news

Brown’s latest comments come after he admitted to approaching Verstappen’s camp over the possibility of signing the four-time World Champion before committing to a new deal for current points leader Oscar Piastri.

Piastri signed a contract extension with McLaren on the eve of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in March, with Brown revealing in the aftermath of the announcement that he had made contact with Verstappen’s management before the deal was done.

He said: “Oh yes, about that phone call…

“It is my job to explore the market and to know what is going on. We must not forget that at that time I was also negotiating with my own driver [Piastri] about a new contract.

“I want to be able to estimate whether a possible stone could fall, which could cause a domino effect, because that could trigger interest in my driver again.

“That is the reason I made inquiries [but] I’m a happy camper [with Piastri and Lando Norris].”

Brown went on to hint that Verstappen’s financial demands meant a move to McLaren was never on the cards, adding: “Let me put it this way, during that phone call I got the information I needed…”

Read next: Why Oscar Piastri’s favourable McLaren treatment is a complete myth… for now