{"id":299878,"date":"2023-12-13T08:08:57","date_gmt":"2023-12-13T08:08:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tellmysport.com\/?p=299878"},"modified":"2023-12-13T08:08:57","modified_gmt":"2023-12-13T08:08:57","slug":"mercedes-told-they-f-up-by-christian-horner-as-lewis-hamilton-snubbed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tellmysport.com\/racing\/f1\/mercedes-told-they-f-up-by-christian-horner-as-lewis-hamilton-snubbed\/","title":{"rendered":"Mercedes told they ‘f*****’ up by Christian Horner as Lewis Hamilton snubbed"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The battle to catch Red Bull is hotting up as teams prepare their cars for 2024. The likes of Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren will all be hoping to put up a better challenge in Formula One next season after Max Verstappen ran away with the Drivers\u2019 Championship.<\/p>\n

Mercedes\u2019 inconsistency meant that they failed to remain anywhere near Red Bull, who had both titles wrapped up months before the end of a record-breaking season. Lewis Hamilton will be hoping that 2024 is the year he ends a two-year wait for a race victory.<\/p>\n

A three-month break before the season starts will not deter teams from ensuring they are in excellent condition heading into the new year.\u00a0<\/p>\n

You can follow all the latest F1 news in our LIVE blog, below\u2026<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Horner tells Mercedes they ‘f***** up’<\/h3>\n

Christian Horner insists Mercedes \u201cf***** up\u201d during the infamous 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix that saw Max Verstappen controversially beat Lewis Hamilton to the world title.<\/p>\n

Hamilton had led for most of the race before a safety car was deployed. Then-race director Michael Masi contentiously ordered that the final lap had to be started from the start line.<\/p>\n

Verstappen, on softer tyres, burst ahead of Hamilton and won his first world title.<\/p>\n

Mercedes and Hamilton were left fuming over the decision. But Horner says they messed up by leaving Hamilton on older tyres.<\/p>\n

\u201cMercedes f***** up,\u201d the Red Bull boss said on A League Of Their Own.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey left poor Lewis out there on tyres that had done pretty much most of the race and we\u2019d pitted with Max, so he was on a fresh set of tyres. Max made the move and\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

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Hamilton snubbed<\/h3>\n

Lewis Hamilton has reached a new low after being snubbed by McLaren team principal Andrea Stella.<\/p>\n

Stella was asked to name his top three drivers if they all had the same car.<\/p>\n

Seven-time World Champion Hamilton did not make the list, emphasising his downfall in F1.<\/p>\n

The McLaren chief also excluded his own driver, Oscar Piastri, from his top three.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cMy top three drivers with the same cars would be Max Verstappen, Lando Norris and Fernando Alonso.\u201d<\/p>\n

Welcome<\/h3>\n

Hello and welcome to Express Sport’s LIVE F1 blog.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Stay tuned for all the latest news from the grid.\u00a0<\/p>\n