Steiner signals end of Verstappen F1 stranglehold

Guenther Steiner believes Max Verstappen's period of domination is finally over after revelling in the 'unpredictability' of F1 of late.

After Verstappen cruised to victory in the Chinese Grand Prix in mid-April for his fourth win in the opening five races, it appeared as if a repeat of last season's crushing performance was on the cards.

In 2023, Red Bull rewrote the record books with 21 victories from 22 grands prix, with Verstappen claiming 19 of those to leave the rest of the F1 field trailing in his wake.

Like many observers, former Haas team principal Steiner was prepared to write off the current season, only to be caught by surprise by the about-turn in performance which has seen McLaren and Mercedes challenge for pole positions and race victories.

Red Bull's advantage has been whittled down to just 42 points over McLaren in the constructors' championship, whilst Verstappen leads Lando Norris by 78 points in the drivers' standings.

Asked in a special episode of the RacingNews365 Podcast that airs on Monday as to his biggest takeaway of the F1 season so far, Steiner replied: "How unpredictable Formula 1 is at the moment.

"The beginning of the season, I would say, was again domination by Max, but as we all know, all good things come to an end - and the end came!

"Sometimes you just need to be patient as things happen, and not get negative. For some people, it was getting frustrating, or 'If we've got another season like this, I'm not watching it anymore'.

"And all of a sudden you've got seven different winners in the first half. Who would have put money on that on race three or four this year? I wouldn't, I'm honest about it, but it's a good thing."

Steiner unsure as to who is best

Alongside Verstappen, Norris and McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri, along with Mercedes duo Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, as well as Ferrari pair Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, have all won races this season.

Form has fluctated at times depending on the circuit, leaving Steiner anxiously anticipating how the second 'half' of the campaign will unfold, with 10 races to run.

"The amazing thing for me is we still don't know who is the best at the moment," he added. "That is a good thing going into the second half of the season.

"It makes it even more interesting, and there are a lot of moving parts happening as well. As much as the first half was interesting, I think the second half will be as interesting, if not more."