Günter Steiner has defended Hiroki Tsunoda following a controversial moment in the final race of the season, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Tsunoda, in his last outing as a Red Bull driver, made an aggressive attempt to block McLaren’s Lando Norris to support teammate Max Verstappen’s dwindling championship chances. Norris needed to navigate traffic to secure third place behind the new F1 champion, but Tsunoda’s Red Bull challenged him fiercely. Tsunoda repeatedly changed direction on the long back straight to disrupt Norris, who eventually passed with all four wheels off the track.
The race stewards investigated the incident, ultimately clearing Norris but penalizing Tsunoda with a five-second time penalty for “changing direction multiple times to protect position.” However, ex-Haas team principal Steiner criticized the penalty as unnecessary, stating on the Red Flag podcast that this kind of battle is exactly what racing fans want to see. He emphasized that such close contests add excitement to the sport and warned against stewards issuing penalties just to gain public attention. Steiner argued that both drivers pushed their limits fairly, calling it “a good moment of the race.”
In contrast, McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown disapproved of Tsunoda’s tactics, labeling them dangerous and excessive. Brown acknowledged the team dynamics at play but insisted there should be boundaries, calling the move “a dangerous operation,” though relieved no harm came from it.
In the end, Norris secured the championship by just two points over Verstappen, who won his eighth race of the season at Yas Marina.
Fan Take: This clash highlights the fine line between daring racing and dangerous behavior that stewards must carefully navigate. For fans, it’s a vivid reminder of the intensity and drama that make Formula 1 thrilling, but it also raises important questions about how much team tactics should be allowed to influence race outcomes.
