F1 Today: Andretti Weighs in on Red Bull’s Decline; Steiner Offers Exclusive Insights

Another day has passed, bringing with it some must-know F1 stories. Mario Andretti shared exclusive insights with GPblog regarding Red Bull’s recent challenges. Meanwhile, Guenther Steiner offered an unreleased anecdote from his upcoming book, Unfiltered. Plus, Mercedes revealed Lewis Hamilton’s plans following the 2024 season.

Mario Andretti Reflects on Red Bull’s Challenges:

In an exclusive interview with GPblog, Andretti addressed the struggles facing Red Bull. While the Milton Keynes-based team had its most dominant year in 2023, this season has been quite different. “I’m going to say something that I feel, whether it’s coincidental or not: the moment Adrian Newey distanced himself from the team, things started to go wrong,” remarked the 1978 F1 world champion.

“Aston Martin will be very fortunate to have him on board. You might wonder how this decline happened so quickly, but it has, and it just keeps getting worse. Perhaps Christian Horner should have given him more credit,” the American contended. Read the full article by clicking this link.

Guenther Steiner offers a sneak peek into his latest book:

At the end of 2023, Guenther Steiner parted ways with Haas. In his upcoming book, Unfiltered, set to be released on October 10, the Italian recounts in detail the phone call when team owner Gene Haas informed him that his contract would not be renewed. GPblog has an exclusive excerpt from the former team principal’s book ahead of its release!

“Hi Gene,” I said. “How are you? Happy Christmas.” Normally, I’m not a fan of taking calls while trying to select quality pork products in an Italian supermarket during the festive season, but at the end of the day, he was my boss.

“I’m fine,” he replied. “Happy Christmas to you too.” He then spent a minute talking about trivial matters, and just as I was about to ask where this conversation was headed, he abruptly changed the subject. Thank God. “Why do you think we’ve been doing so poorly, Guenther?” he asked.

We’ve covered this a million times, Gene,” I replied. “For us to improve, you need to invest some money and get us closer to the budget cap…

Lewis Hamilton to Drive for Ferrari Post-Season? Mercedes Reveals Plans

Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton have formed a formidable partnership over the years. With both McLaren (powered by Mercedes engines) and the Mercedes works team, Hamilton has celebrated 105 victories, 201 podiums, and 104 pole positions throughout his career. The announcement of his move to Ferrari in February sent shockwaves through the F1 world. But how soon can we expect to see the seven-time world champion with his new team? According to Mercedes, it won’t be this year.

Mercedes has confirmed that Hamilton will not participate in the Abu Dhabi post-season test—neither for Mercedes nor for Ferrari. The reason? The seven-time world champion won’t even be in the country at that time. Instead, George Russell will take part in the tyre test, while Andrea Kimi Antonelli will compete in the Young Driver test. As a result, fans will have to wait until 2025 to see Hamilton donning his new Ferrari uniform.

Source: https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/305242/f1-today-mario-andretti-on-red-bull-issues-lewis-hamilton-to-miss-test.html