Exclusive
Steiner didn't understand McLaren team orders: 'Piastri won't be champion'
- Nicole Mulder
Given McLaren's recent form, it is somewhat surprising that the Woking-based Formula 1 team has only managed to win two races this season. In an exclusive interview with GPblog, former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner shares his views on the performance of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri's team.
Steiner: 'McLaren missed out on points with team orders'
Should McLaren have won more than it did in the first half of the season? In his answer to that question, Steiner cites his earlier statement about winning races consistently. "I think consistently winning is... You need to learn that as well. And you can just do that by doing it," the Italian said simply. At the same time, he stressed that although Max Verstappen is still in an excellent position, he must not make mistakes to avoid being under pressure.
"I think they let seven points go when they let Oscar [Piastri] past. Because Oscar cannot win the championship. Mathematically, he can. But realistically, very difficult. So you need to learn that as well," continued Steiner, who can understand McLaren's choices that did not always work out this season.
"they didn't think to end up in this situation. But it's normal. You need to learn winning consistently. And that's a craft in itself. But they will learn it because Andrea [Stella] is a smart guy," the former F1 team principal concluded.
This article was written in collaboration with Kada Sarkozi
Want more Formula 1? Then follow GPblog on our various social media channels!