Günther Steiner finds clear words. For him, the situation in the title fight is clear – and McLaren’s strategy is incomprehensible. “You have to support him,” he says of Lando Norris on the Red Flags Podcast. “Otherwise he has no chance.”
The former Haas team boss doesn’t believe in McLaren’s line of allowing both drivers to race against each other completely freely. One scenario in particular before Qatar leaves Steiner stunned: “If Oscar leads the race and Lando is behind – and they don’t let Lando pass? I would be shocked.”
But in fact, McLaren would not actually need a team order given the current status, as a 1-2 scenario for Piastri and Norris in Qatar would certainly throw Max Verstappen out of the title race and therefore only a McLaren driver can become world champion. However, if Verstappen leads with Piastri and Norris behind him, the situation will look different.
Steiner even asks how far fairness can go when a World Cup title is at stake. “How fair do you want to be? You know Lando is ahead, but it’s not a comfortable lead – and the ‘hunter’ is getting closer and closer. You have to act.”
Steiner: “How stubborn can you be?”
Steiner’s criticism is aimed directly at McLaren’s season principle: both drivers should fight freely as long as they have a mathematical chance of winning the title. For Steiner this is intolerable in the final. “If Oscar Lando takes away points – wow,” he comments dryly. “How stubborn can you be?”
The pressure from outside is growing: Max Verstappen is breathing down the necks of both McLaren drivers, and the double disqualification from Las Vegas has further intensified the title fight. But Steiner believes that McLaren has to take responsibility right now – and can’t continue to watch. “You have to decide: Do you want to be eaten by the animal that’s after you – or do you want to help one of your boys?” he says.
Stella before Qatar: No reason for a number one
McLaren team boss Andrea Stella sees the situation completely differently. Before the Qatar weekend, he made it clear: For him, everything will remain the same. “As long as both drivers have mathematical chances, we give them free rein,” says Stella. He doesn’t see a reason to make Norris number one.
Stella doesn’t see the tense World Cup situation as a risk, but as a success story: “If we had been told at the start of the season that we would be in this position with two races to go – we would have signed immediately.”
Stella also reacts calmly to the question of whether free travel could provoke internal conflicts. McLaren is going into the last two races “with confidence and awareness of their own strengths”. The goal is still to win the second title of the year – without internal favoritism.