“NOT FAIR” Red Bull Technical Director Adrian Newey Accuses Sky Sports of Bias Toward British Racers, Not Max Verstappen
In a recent podcast, Red Bull’s legendary technical director Adrian Newey made a bold and shocking claim, accusing Sky Sports of biasing their Formula 1 coverage in favor of British drivers at the expense of global talents like Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel. Newey’s comments have sparked a fresh wave of debate about media fairness and how drivers are portrayed to worldwide audiences.
Newey voiced his concerns, stating, “I’m not sure if people from the outside even recognize and understand Max correctly, that wasn’t the case with Sebastian either.” He suggested that both Verstappen and Vettel have been unfairly demonized by Sky’s coverage, which he feels leans too heavily in favor of British racers.
The Red Bull technical chief highlighted how Sky’s extensive international reach allows its coverage to significantly influence global opinion. “Both have repeatedly suffered from some kind of demonization, which I find very unfair. This may also be due to the British media,” Newey added, suggesting that the portrayal of these world-class drivers has been skewed by nationalistic reporting.
Newey acknowledged that this type of favoritism is not unique to the UK, pointing out that countries like the Netherlands, Spain, and Italy often center their coverage around their own stars, including Max Verstappen, Fernando Alonso, and Ferrari. However, he emphasized that Sky’s international presence makes the impact of their biased coverage even more significant on a global scale.
In a rare comparison, Newey also likened Verstappen to Fernando Alonso, praising both for their remarkable intelligence and natural ability to read races. “Max is very intelligent. And he has this incredible gift of driving the car almost automatically… Both can read a race without having the information in front of their noses,” Newey explained, defending Verstappen’s incredible skill on the track.
Newey’s comments have reignited the conversation about media bias in sports, with many fans now questioning the fairness of F1 coverage and how it shapes the reputations of the sport’s top drivers.
