Guenther Steiner urges Formula 1 fans to ‘put the brakes on’ predicting one team will shine in the Japanese Grand Prix as the paddock prepares for round three at Suzuka.
After back-to-back races in Australia and China to start the 2025 Formula 1 season, Japan is next as the series begins the first triple-header of the term. McLaren have been the team to beat so far, with drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri winning in Melbourne and Shanghai.
Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes are engaged in a close-fought battle to be second-best. Max Verstappen came second in Australia yet has argued Red Bull may only have the fourth-best car. The midfield teams are also close with Williams heading Haas, Aston Martin and Sauber.
Williams also have the same number of points as the Scuderia after two rounds with 17 due to Ferrari’s double disqualification in China. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton lost their P5 and P6 finishes over having an underweight car plus excessive floor plank wear respectively.
Guenther Steiner is ‘digging in’ on Haas being F1’s worst team at the Japanese Grand Prix
Ferrari’s double DSQ in Shanghai promoted Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and Williams’ Carlos Sainz into the points. It also added further shine to Haas’ race with Esteban Ocon inheriting P5 in the Chinese Grand Prix and Oliver Bearman P8 after being the worst team in Australia.
Haas propped up the order in Melbourne with Ocon’s debut for the American squad ending in P13, with Bearman in P14 as the last of the classified finishers. Ocon was also the slowest in qualifying for the Australian GP, where Bearman did not set a time due to a gearbox issue.
READ MORE: Who is 2025 Haas driver Oliver Bearman? Everything to know
It thus marked a huge turnaround for both Haas drivers to score points, with Bearman rising from P17 on the grid to P8 in the Chinese GP, too. But Steiner feels their double-points finish came largely due to the ‘special circumstances’ that greeted the American team in Shanghai.
Steiner believes the new asphalt at the Shanghai International Circuit suited Haas’ car and it allowed Ocon and Bearman to maximise the VF-25’s potential in the Chinese GP. But, while Suzuka has also been resurfaced in areas, Steiner doubts Haas’ hopes for the Japanese GP.
“It was special circumstances [in] China,” Steiner told The Red Flags Podcast, referring to the “very smooth” track surface. “Put the brakes on. Wait for Japan, wait for Japan… I’m digging in [on Haas being the worst team].”
When pushed on if Steiner indeed thinks the £807m-valued Haas F1 team will be ‘nowhere’ in the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix, their former team principal continued: “I would think so.”
Suzuka’s resurfaced track could be key to Haas’ Japanese GP like it was in China
Steiner was speechless after Haas’ horrendous Australian GP, where Bearman also surprised the American-Italian after completing 14-and-a-half laps around Albert Park before the race. He crashed at Turn 10 in FP1 and then got beached in the T13 gravel three minutes into FP3.
READ MORE: Haas driver Esteban Ocon’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend
Yet Shanghai’s new track surface allowed the American squad to instantly bounce back with Haas running Ocon and Bearman’s cars closer to the ground in the Chinese GP. It limited the aerodynamic oscillations they endured in Australia and could attack the high-speed corners.
So, Haas hope Suzuka’s resurfacing improves their Japanese GP hopes as it will likely be as key as it was in China to run Ocon and Bearman’s cars close to the ground. But Steiner might have some reason to be cynical as Bearman admits Haas are ‘struggling with top speed’, too.
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