Former Haas team boss Guenther Steiner finds it surprising that McLaren did not lodge any protest against the time penalty of Oscar Piastri following his collision with Andrea Kimi Antonelli in São Paulo. According to Steiner, the team should have “at least contested the decision.”
The incident between Oscar Piastri, Kimi Antonelli, and Charles Leclerc sparked considerable debate afterwards. Many deemed Piastri’s penalty as rather harsh, including McLaren team boss Andrea Stella, who called the penalty “very severe.” Leclerc, who had to prematurely end his race due to the collision, even partially defended the Australian. “For me, it was actually a fifty-fifty situation; both Piastri and Antonelli were to blame,” the Monegasque said afterwards. “Oscar was perhaps a bit too optimistic, and Kimi turned as if Oscar wasn’t there. That’s why they hit each other, and then they hit me. So, the blame does not entirely lie with Oscar.”
Former Haas team boss Guenther Steiner commented on the penalty and the way incidents are currently judged. “Why don’t you go to the stewards and at least say something?” he said in the Red Flags podcast. “Even Charles Leclerc said: ‘It wasn’t Oscar’s fault. Maybe I was a bit too optimistic.’ You have three cars next to each other… With all these rules, interpretations, and now they’re getting ten-second penalties instead of five: where does racing stop? Everyone gets a penalty these days, sometimes even without hitting anyone. Fans don’t like that.”
Always Try
Steiner also emphasized that lodging a protest, even if it has little chance of success, can be important for a team. “It’s also psychological,” he explained. “Of course, I sometimes exaggerate, which doesn’t always help. But laying out the facts shows that you know what you’re doing. You express your opinion, even if you don’t know if you’ll win. But you should always try. That’s my opinion.”
