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Guenther Steiner didn’t hold back in his latest appearance on the Red Flags Podcast. The former Haas team principal delivered a blunt assessment of Oscar Piastri’s recent form, claiming the Australian’s current performances are “not good enough to win a world championship.”
Steiner questions Piastri’s form
Piastri started the season in sensational fashion, leading the championship for several rounds and matching teammate Lando Norris stride for stride. But after a string of disappointing results, the McLaren driver has now lost that lead, and his momentum. “It just wasn’t good enough to be a world champion,” Steiner said of Piastri’s race in Mexico. “He’s struggling right now, and I don’t know exactly why. But one thing’s clear: without the team fully behind him for the title fight, he seems to have lost his mojo.”
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According to Steiner, Piastri thrived earlier in the year because expectations were lower. “Lando was the established leader at McLaren after last season’s title battle with Max Verstappen,” he explained. “That gave Oscar room to perform freely. He won four of the first five races and looked unstoppable until the summer break.”
Since then, though, things have gone downhill. The Australian has managed only one podium since Zandvoort and even retired in Azerbaijan, his first DNF since his debut year. “I think all those internal team orders, the ‘papaya rules’ about who can attack and when, have shaken his confidence,” Steiner continued.
“You can’t win starting like that”
In Mexico, Piastri started seventh and finished fifth, just behind Oliver Bearman. That result cost him the championship lead to Norris, who now holds a one-point advantage. “If you start a race like that, you’ve got no chance,” Steiner said. “His qualifying wasn’t good enough, and when you start from that far back, it’s game over. It’s as simple as that.”
Piastri will have a chance to bounce back this weekend at Interlagos, a circuit that has historically suited McLaren. But with just four rounds left and momentum clearly shifting toward Norris, the Australian needs a near-perfect finish to stay in the title fight.
Azerbaijan Grand Prix
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