Red Bull’s problem ‘not linked to Newey exit’

In the round-up: Red Bull motorsport consultant Helmut Marko denies any connection between chief technical officer Adrian Newey’s departure from the team and their decline in form.

In brief

Red Bull’s problem ‘not linked to Newey exit’

Following one of Red Bull’s worst performances of the season, in which Max Verstappen finished a lowly sixth, Marko insisted the team’s slump is not linked to Newey’s exit, which was announced in May.

“Of course, there is an opinion among fans that our relapse has something to do with Adrian Newey’s departure,” he told SpeedWeek. “But that is not true because Newey was no longer involved in all the details of the vehicle development in the spring.

“What cannot be denied, of course, is that Newey is Newey, a man with incredible experience, and that has always distinguished him. But our problem lies elsewhere.”

Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari testing for Pirelli

Mercedes and Red Bull began a two-day test for Pirelli at Monza yesterday. George Russell completed 127 laps, logging a best time of 1’20.747, while Liam Lawson did a 1’22.126 in the RB and racked up 104 laps.

While the test continues at Monza tomorrow, Ferrari will also run at Fiorano with Oliver Bearman conducting wet weather testing for F1’s official tyre supplier.

New Formula 3 champion lands 2025 Formula 2 seat

Franco Colapinto, who clinched the Formula 3 title with Trident last weekend, will join Invicta for next year’s Formula 2 season. His move means at least one of their two drivers – Kush Maini or McLaren development driver Gabriel Bortoleto – will need to find another drive next year.

Williams reviving special livery for demo run

Williams will use the special livery for sponsor Gulf, which they used at three races last year, in a demonstration run in Sao Paulo, Brazil on September 29th.

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