Formula 1 expert Günther Steiner spoke to RTL/NTV and Sport.de about the most important topics of the Grand Prize of Australia. While he had a lot of praise for racing winners Lando Norris and McLaren, he put his finger in the wound at Red Bull Racing with a view of Max Verstappen as with Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton.
Former Haas team boss and today’s Formula 1 expert Günther Steiner has paid respect for Australia winner Lando Norris and McLaren.
“They had the fastest car and Norris did everything right,” said Steiner in an exclusive conversation with RTL/NTV and sport.de The Grand Prix winner and the British racing team and added to the strategy of the team: “They did not take any risk-on safety. And that’s why he won the race.”
Norris’ colleague, Oscar Piatri, on the other hand, “made a mistake when he was out on the track. Then he was lucky that he came back at all because he was standing in the grass,” said Steiner to the other McLaren pilot, who ended up ninth despite a good weekend. Norris, on the other hand, “simply drove the more complete race, under difficult circumstances”.
Steiner welcomed that there should still be no overarching team order at McLaren – apart from the briefly granted within the Australia GP.
“Zak Brown wants to have the better of the two drivers win, which I find fair. And I think it will be the same in China,” the F1 expert looked at the upcoming Formula 1 weekend RTL The qualifying (Saturday, 8 a.m.) and the race (Sunday, 8 a.m.) as part of the super Sunday (away 8:15 p.m. RTL also broadcasts the game of the German national soccer team))) Live on free TV shows.
Steiner continues: “I think McLaren knows that you have the best car, you will let the two fight to see who is the better one.”
However, the leaf could also turn quickly, the South Tyrolean continued. “From a certain point – if someone can get close to them and take away the world championship title – the Papaya Rules will surely come out again,” Steiner believed in a possible rethink and at the same time alluded to the team orders that are not always clear last year: “But they don’t know what they are.”
Other exclusive statements by RTL expert Günther Steiner on the Australia GP:
Steiner about Max Verstappen and the difficulties of Mercedes:
“I think Red Bull would be behind Mercedes without Max.”
“You know: If the conditions are difficult, the weather and such, Max Verstappen is very good. (…) The Max factor is already playing a big role at Red Bull at the moment.”
Steiner about Nico Hülkenberg, who won more points in the first race for Sauber than clean throughout the 2024 season:
“Nico was beaten by Bortoleto in qualifying. But Nico was very good in the race. They did everything right when it started to rain. In the case of rain race, you always have to be in the right time at the right time. But logically, you also have to make decisions myself. I don’t want to take anything away here, but he was just good and his experience is very good.”
Steiner about rookie Isack Hadjar, who crashed the car in the introductory round, cried and then was comforted by the dad of his great idol, Anthony Hamilton, in the paddock:
“I think Helmut Marko wouldn’t have hugged him, right? (…)”
“In the introductory round, putting the car in a stack of tires is not cool. And everyone reacts differently. (…) The first Formula 1 race. You know the world looks at you. It’s not easy if you are 20 years old. That’s why you have to understand it. But I think he also learned a lot of it. (…) Will not let him down because of this error.
Steiner via Lewis Hamilton at the Ferrari debut in Melbourne:
“It was a lot of hype about him in Australia, this switch to Ferrari. And he also enjoyed standing in the spotlight. But now he has to perform. Now he has seen that it is not so easy. He has to concentrate. And I mean that he can drive. Seven times world champion you won’t be if you are not good. But I think this ‘honemoon phase’ is over with him. Honoring weeks are over.