08/08/2025 18:20
Former Haas F1 team principal Guenther Steiner has noted that Lando
Norris is "up for the fight" to win the F1 drivers' title, but
still expects Oscar Piastri to be crowned world champion. Steiner
has been vocal of Norris' mistakes this season, as recently as the
Canadian Grand Prix following the British driver's shock error
which caused a crash with Piastri. If not for that crash, Norris
would enter the summer break with a one-point lead in the
standings, rather than nine points adrift of Piastri. Norris has
responded remarkably since his Montreal retirement, to the extent
that he has won three of the last four races. His most recent win
came in the Hungarian Grand Prix, where a one-stop strategy
elevated him from fourth to first after a poor start. Piastri,
Charles Leclerc and George Russell all opted for a safe two-stop
strategy, with McLaren's gamble on Norris' side of the garage
having paid off. Despite praising Norris' current run of results,
Steiner does not believe the 25-year-old has the momentum in the
title fight, but that a scrap for the crown has been set up for the
final 10 races. Asked on the Red Flags podcast if Norris got lucky
in Hungary or now has the momentum, Steiner answered: "No, neither
of the two. "It's a sign of we have got a nice championship in
front of us, because it's not done until it's finished this
championship, because there's always some surprises. But what I
think, who will be world champion, I don't have to repeat that, I'm
still Oscar. "But for me, the good thing is, with Lando, even when
everybody was doubting him, not being critical, doubting him if he
can be a world champion, because he's folding under pressure and
all that good stuff, me being part of that group of people. "He, as
you said, he's won three out of the last four races. So that's not
too bad. That's not a lot of folding going on there. "So he's up
for the fight, which is interesting. And McLaren is very good to
let them keep on fighting. It looks like they don't give any team
orders."
