Why Guenther Steiner agrees with Charles Leclerc’s view on the crash that ruined his Brazil GP race

Why Guenther Steiner agrees with Charles Leclerc’s view on the crash that ruined his Brazil GP race. Guenther Steiner criticizes the FIA and McLaren after the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Guenther Steiner has once again made headlines with one of his typically direct and provocative comments during the The Red Flags podcast, where he analyzed what happened at the Brazilian Grand Prix. The former Haas team principal openly defended Oscar Piastri after the contact with Kimi Antonelli, an incident that earned the McLaren driver a ten-second penalty and indirectly ruined Charles Leclerc’s race.According to Guenther Steiner, the stewards’ decision was excessive and inconsistent with the spirit of a “first-lap incident.” He stated, “Three cars side by side at the restart – it’s normal that something happens. If even Leclerc says Piastri wasn’t at fault, why penalize him?”

Strong criticism of McLaren

Steiner didn’t stop there. He went on to criticize McLaren’s apparent lack of reaction, accusing the team of failing to defend their driver in front of the stewards. “If it were me, I would have gone to argue with the stewards, even if it meant getting a fine. You have to show your drivers that you stand by them, that you’re on their side,” he explained.

One of the podcast hosts, Matt Elisofon, drew a comparison with Christian Horner, praising the approach of the former Red Bull team principal. “Horner always defended Verstappen, even when he was at fault. That’s how you build a united team, and the stewards think twice before handing out penalties,” he commented.

“Too many penalties kill real racing”

According to Steiner, Formula 1 is at risk of losing its authentic and competitive side. “With all these penalties, where’s the real racing gone? If drivers have to avoid any contact at all costs, we might as well start the race and keep the same positions,” he argued.

Steiner also referred to Charles Leclerc’s post-race comments from Interlagos to support his criticism of McLaren. The Monegasque driver, indirectly involved in the contact, hinted that Oscar Piastri was not solely responsible for the incident. With his statement, “Piastri didn’t deserve all the blame,” Charles Leclerc suggested that Kimi Antonelli could have left more space to avoid the collision that ultimately took him out of the race.

For Steiner, that position should have prompted McLaren to step up and defend their driver in front of the stewards. Instead, the outcome was yet another penalty that compromised the weekend of the young Australian—currently fighting for the world championship—and perhaps even damaged internal trust within the team.