Oscar Piastri advised to quit McLaren if he loses F1 title
Guenther Steiner suggests Oscar Piastri should consider his future options if he misses out on F1 title glory.
Former Haas team chief Guenther Steiner believes Oscar Piastri should leave McLaren if he misses out on this year’s F1 world championship.
Piastri looked to be the title favourite having led the drivers’ standings for 15 rounds before a dramatic slump in form which has left his hopes of winning a maiden world championship in tatters.
The Australian was 34 points clear of McLaren teammate and title rival Lando Norris after his victory at the Dutch Grand Prix at the end of August, but now finds himself 24 points behind six events later.
With just three races remaining in 2025, Piastri is running out of time to turn things around, particularly with Norris enjoying recent momentum by bagging consecutive wins in Mexico City and Brazil.
Ex-Haas team principal Steiner reckons Piastri should consider his future away from McLaren if Norris goes on to claim the crown.
“Especially if he doesn't win the championship, I think he has got a good chance to get in any other good car,” Steiner told The Red Flags podcast.
“He’s a good driver and change sometimes is good. He's young enough, he can adapt to it. He should and I think he will. That's my opinion.”
When asked what Piastri would need to do if he misses out on the world championship, Steiner replied: “He just needs to regroup over the winter and come back stronger than before.
“Otherwise, if he doesn’t come back stronger, I think the best for him is that he changes teams then. But he could come back because I still rate him highly.”
Verstappen tipped to finish ahead of Piastri
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen remains in mathematical title contention but is 49 points adrift of Norris and has effectively ruled himself out of the running, despite a stunning fightback to third place on the podium, having started from the pit lane in Brazil.
While Steiner agrees that Verstappen is unlikely to overcome that deficit, he would not be surprised to see the four-time world champion beat Piastri to runner-up spot based on current form.
“Why not? He continues to do it. If you say Oscar is now destroyed mentally, then Max will be ahead of him, absolutely,” he explained.
“Max is motivated, as we’ve seen in Brazil. He didn’t give up after a crappy qualifying. He rolls his sleeves up and made it better and finished on the podium.”
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