Exclusive
'The Red Bull is a f***** car! Oh, I'm not allowed to say that'
- Ludo van Denderen
A year ago from today, no one could have imagined it: Red Bull Racing were so dominant in the competition then, that it seemed like it was impossible for any of their rivals to catch up, let alone overtake them. Now, the picture is different though, as McLaren, and at times Ferrari and Mercedes were able to have a quicker car than the Austrians.
When during an exclusive interview with GPblog the subject of Red Bull comes up, Guenther Steiner cannot resist: "It's a f***** car. Oh, I'm not allowed to say that," the Italian laughed, obviously referring to what Max Verstappen said in Singapore, who used the same word to describe the RB20 at the Thursday press conference. The Dutchman was as a result given a community service penalty, something that Steiner does not understand.
Steiner: 'Others just did better than Red Bull'
Talking in a more serious tone, Steiner then states that he does not know all the ins and outs that caused Red Bull to lose out on leading the competition. "Six months ago we were all disappointed that Red Bull is again dominating. And now we're disappointing that Red Bull is not dominating. It's like it's a little bit of, it's a competition. I would say McLaren has done a fantastic job. The other ones have done a better job than Red Bull."
Earlier, Mario Andretti argued to GPblog that Adrian Newey's departure - coincidence or not - was simultaneous with the moment Red Bull began to achieve worse results.
"Now to go there and say because it's because of one person leaving the team, i.e. Adrian, it's all the problem, I wouldn't think so. And I think the Red Bull is still a good car. It's just not the best car anymore. I find that one pretty normal."
This article was written in collaboration with Kada Sarkozi
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