Former Haas team boss and analyst Günther Steiner believes McLaren was fortunate in the clash between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in Montreal. In the closing stages of the Canadian GP, the two McLaren drivers were at odds. Both were still in contention for a podium finish, but in a heated battle for P4, Norris damaged his front wing on Piastri’s rear tyre. According to Steiner, the damage was surprisingly limited.
The Italian expert noted that Piastri could easily have suffered a puncture – or even more severe damage – as a result of the incident. In Steiner’s view, McLaren got off lightly. Although Norris had to retire early, Piastri still managed to finish fourth. The championship leader thus collected twelve valuable World Championship points in what was a ‘frustrating’ weekend for the team.
‘Every point can cost you the title’
“It was absolutely frustrating for McLaren,” Steiner told talkSPORT. “It was an impossible overtaking attempt anyway – Norris clearly made a misjudgement. Fortunately, he made up for it afterwards.” The 25-year-old Brit immediately apologised over the team radio after the incident and later also apologised to his teammate in the media room. “I was just being stupid,” he said afterwards. “I clearly misjudged the situation.”
“McLaren was ultimately very lucky,” Steiner emphasised. “Normally, Piastri would have also had damage to his rear tyre in such an incident – Norris really drove straight into it. As a team, you lose valuable points at such a moment, not just with one car, but with two. And because the championship is currently so competitive, you never know who will suddenly be in contention for the win in the second half of the season,” Steiner concluded. “Every point you drop now could ultimately cost you the title.”
