Günther Steiner, former Haas F1 team principal, delivered a clear message to McLaren during his appearance on The Red Flags podcast, commenting on the collision between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri at the Canadian Grand Prix. According to the South Tyrolean engineer, the British team risks wasting its potential if it doesn’t establish clear internal priorities.
“In Montreal, in my opinion, Mercedes was clearly ahead. McLaren didn’t stand a chance — it wasn’t about strategy. It was purely performance,” explained Günther Steiner, analysing the technical context leading up to Norris’ error.
“In my view, they will have to make a choice. McLaren is no longer the dominant car. They need to watch out for those catching up. They have an advantage in the constructors’ standings, fine, but last year Red Bull was ahead too… and then McLaren caught up. I’m not saying they’ve collapsed, but they’re not as dominant as they seemed.”
“Piastri needs protection — he’s the driver to manage”
Günther Steiner then encouraged a reflection on the roles of the McLaren drivers, suggesting that the team should back Oscar Piastri: “I’d say this anyway, after what happened in Canada. The last thing you want is to lose both cars in a stupid crash. You’re teammates, not rivals on track.”
A clear strategy would also help relieve pressure on the young Australian, according to the former Haas boss: “Maybe telling him he doesn’t need to think about winning right now could even help. It might ease the pressure.”
The Norris problem: speed without patience
The conversation then shifted to Lando Norris, who was blamed for causing the incident with an overly optimistic overtaking attempt. “Lando had better pace, but you have to know how to pass without making mistakes. Having more speed isn’t enough if you mess up. The pace doesn’t go away, but you need patience.”
For Günther Steiner, the error is a sign of mental fragility in key moments: “That’s when Lando always makes that little mistake. And you know I have great respect for him, he’s fast. But he makes errors at crucial times.”
Asked what might drive Norris to commit these errors, Steiner didn’t mince words: “In my opinion, it’s pressure. He found himself under pressure and tried a desperate overtake, when he could have just waited a lap.”
The incident happened on the main straight: “He just needed to regroup and try again. But he looked for a gap where not even a motorcycle could have gone through. Let alone an F1 car!”
Steiner’s message is clear: McLaren needs order, leadership, and fewer risks on track. And if it truly wants to fight for the title, it must start behaving like a championship team.
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