EXCLUSIVE: Guenther Steiner on Max Verstappen, Fred Vasseur, George Russell and Brazil prediction

Only four races remain of a dramatic Formula 1 season, with Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen all in the hunt for the most dramatic Drivers’ World Championship finale since Abu Dhabi’s infamous Max v Lewis final lap.

We spoke to former Haas Team Principal and ‘Drive To Survive’ cult hero, Guenther Steiner, to discuss all of the big talking points ahead of two pivotal races in Brazil and Las Vegas.

Have McLaren done something wrong, or is Max just one of these drivers that you should never underestimate and Red Bull have come good? What is the machinery that has got us to the point where Max is now, in your eyes, a Championship favorite?

“First of all, I’m not the guy to want to advise Zak Brown and Andrea Stella on what to do, but I think the machinery, for me, is that there was no decision to support one driver to go for the Championship at McLaren at some stage. I think they were in the same position as me five races ago; it seemed to be pretty clear who was going to win the Championship.

“They dominated the Manufacturers’ World Championship, doing a great job, and they thought they’d just bring it home. But now it seems like, not because of the friction, but because of the sharing of the points in McLaren, Max now gets an advantage.

“While they fight, who is laughing? The third one. If two fight, who is laughing? The third one. I think it has dented Piastri’s chances, and rattled his confidence a little. He’s not easily getting the results that he was two months ago.

“They must be looking at themselves and be very concerned with the decisions that they’ve made.

“In terms of Red Bull, what’s happened? Did they ever go away? Have they suddenly sorted something out? Was losing Christian Horner a god-send in the end? What has changed, really, since Horner left the team, that they’ve suddenly become competitive again?

“I think it has a little bit to do with Christian’s situation earlier in the season. What was put in place, technically; what is happening now was put in place when Christian was there. You cannot turn the tanker around this quickly.

“Obviously, Laurent is doing a good job in delivering the results with Max, but we know that were was friction within the team for a long time.

“There was always some news in the press and in every race there was some drama, and that has gone away now. Maybe internally, everybody has calmed down and focused a little bit more on what to do.

“The technical things were installed when Christian was there, because development, design, and production takes months in an F1 car.

“The latest upgrades which they got on the car a few races ago, I guess they helped. They gave Max more confidence in the car and he started to deliver again, but they were put in place under Christian. Maybe Christian going away has calmed everybody a little bit down and it’s just a quieter environment.

“These things in Formula One happen. Red Bull actually kept on developing the car because they believed that they could still go for the Championship.

“Obviously, when they did it, nobody really believed in it, that it was a possibility. But here you see, what they decided six months ago to do seems to be working because now they’re challenging for the drivers’ World Championship.”

*Steiner worked as Haas Team Principal between 2016-2023. Credit: Wikimedia Commons

What do you think has changed in Max? Even if you don’t like him, you have to respect him as a competitor. How much of it is down to Max, and how much of it is down to improvements in the car?

“I actually like Max and like him because he’s a pure racer.

“Honestly, I don’t think anything has changed for him. I think he was the guy, when the car was not so good, who always tried hardest, and therefore he’s now in the position that the car obviously performs better, and he can win still the Championship.

“If he would have given up two or three months ago when they were not so good, he would be out of contention by now.

“Obviously, he was complaining about the car, but that’s something that every driver does. If the car is not to his liking, he’s not the only one. He was always putting 100% into it and achieved fantastic results in very difficult situations, where Max is very good.

“He can stand up behind the wheel and deliver a performance where you say, ‘where is this coming from?’ When I call it, he’s going to be Supermax, doing something which nobody else on the grid right now can do. I think it makes him, in the moment, the complete driver.”

Speaking of Christian Horner; we all know about his £50 million payoff at Red Bull. Rumours are that he’s calling every team on the grid, and reports about Ferrari won’t go away. What do you think he might do next?

“I don’t know where Christian is going.

“I think he wants to return to F1 because that is what he likes most in his life. My opinion on Ferrari is that it’s a very difficult company to run.

“They’re currently second in the Constructors’ Championship, but it’s very close. Second wouldn’t be a bad result this year, but it’s not good enough still for an organization like Ferrari. 

“I think Fred will get a bit more time and the entirety of 2026 with the complete new rules. If they are not competitive next year, I think something will happen there.

“It would be wrong now to put somebody new in right now. The new regulations are going to be challenging for everyone, and Ferrari will have had 2026 in mind for a long time.

“In Formula One, everything starts very early. That process will have started a long time ago. Let’s see what they can deliver and judge them from there because Fred inherited what he inherited.

“Ferrari needs stability and calmness right now; not a change in such a senior position.”

George Russell is one of these people that, doesn’t automatically feel like a potential champion, but at the same time in the right car and everything else, could he still be viewed as underrated? Why do you think it took Mercedes so long to give him a new deal?

“I think George is doing a good job.

“When Hamilton left, it was like, what are Mercedes doing? Is George ready to be the team leader? Yes, he’s proven that he is. He’s leading the team pretty well, and some of his results have been positive.

“I think he maybe is a little bit underrated, and I don’t know why that is. It’s strange because the performance is there, the maturity is there, and he’s doing a good job.

“You could argue that sometimes, he’s a little bit too critical about things. Sometimes less is more and being critical about a lot of things; that sometimes doesn’t give you any more credit behind the scenes.

“As a driver and as a team member, what he said in Mexico, he was completely right. He said, ‘guys, let me go past, if it doesn’t work out, I’ll give the position back.’

“They didn’t have to tell him, he said it upfront himself and then was true to his word. He gave them the script.

“For me, that showed that he is a team leader, and even though they initially didn’t let him past, they did just moments later.”

Can you give us a prediction for Brazil and Las Vegas?

“I think they are so close together, the top three.

“For me, Max will win the race. I’ll go with Oscar second and Lando third.

“I predict this for Brazil because I’ve got the feeling, but then you look at Vegas after that, and I have no idea.

“Vegas is a track where Mercedes can win, maybe a Ferrari can easily go on the podium. Any of four manufacturers could actually win that race.

“I think Ferrari winning it is the most difficult one to envisage because it seems like one of the other teams is always just a bit better than them, but a podium is definitely possible.

“With Mercedes, they can have the odd race where it all comes together. It will be really cold in Vegas because it’s still quite late in the evening. Mercedes could surprise a few people with the long straight there.”

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