Adrian Newey would be top of Haas boss Guenther Steiner’s fantasy shopping list, as Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen could win in his Red Bull creation.
Red Bull put on a record-breaking display of dominance over the 2023 F1 festival, winning 21 of the 22 Grands Prix.
Only a clash between weekends in Singapore allowed them to complete an unbeaten season, with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz winning at the Marina Bay Street circuit.
While Red Bull comfortably topped the Constructors’ Championship, scoring more than double the points of runner-up Mercedes to retain their crown, Haas unfortunately found themselves all the way down at the other end, finishing P10 and last.
It is no surprise then that Red Bull’s design guru Adrian Newey, who has designed title-winning cars for Williams and McLaren before Red Bull, is right at the top of Guenther Steiner’s fantasy shopping list.
Asked in a Q and A with The Athletic which one person currently working in F1 he would bring to his team if he could do so for free, Steiner was clear in his mind that Newey would be that person.
Then, those title-worthy designs could come Haas’ way, Steiner claiming both Haas drivers, Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen, could pick up wins driving that Red Bull RB19.
“I will take Adrian Newey because I’m sure he can make a car which can win,” said Steiner. “The answer is quite obvious.
“Even if you take Max [Verstappen] with our car, we won. I think if we had a Red Bull, Nico would win races and Kevin.
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Verstappen also recently used Haas as an example when talking about the all-rounder that is the Red Bull RB19.
Stressing that Hulkenberg and Magnussen are no “idiots”, Verstappen explained that a challenger which looks after its tyres is key to success in F1’s ground effect era, this Haas’ long-standing Achilles’ Heel.
“Surely you need a car that gets rid of its tyres,” Verstappen told Auto Motor und Sport. “Otherwise, you’re doomed. “
“You can see it in Haas. No I think Nico and Kevin are stupid. If the car overloads the tires, there is little that can be done.
“First of all, what you want is the base, and that’s the car. As a driver, you can gain a tenth or two tenths at the moment depending on the lap by paying more attention to the tyres.
Haas’ technical partnership with Ferrari sincerely hopes that the Scuderia will be able to take on Red Bull in F1 2024, as an apparent gain in functionality would also be a major advantage for the American team.
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