Former Haas Formula 1 team principal Guenther Steiner has slammed Ferrari for a stubborn refusal to own up to strategic blunders, pointing out an institutional fear of admitting fault that he argues is hurting their race weekends. According to Motorsport.com, Steiner laid out his harsh assessment of the Scuderia's culture while appearing on The Red Flags Podcast.
The discussion centered on a disastrous gamble during the chaotic Bahrain Grand Prix, where Ferrari opted to start both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc on soft slick tyres despite wet-weather conditions. As Steiner noted, the decision backfired instantly, sending both drivers plummeting down the order during the opening laps. While rivals like McLaren acted decisively—with Oscar Piastri quickly swapping to intermediate tyres—Ferrari stubbornly refused to alter course.
"At McLaren, it's like, 'OK, I think we made the wrong decision, let's fix it,'" Steiner said. "At Ferrari, it's, 'No, we need to show that we made the right decision, even if it's wrong, because we cannot admit that we made the wrong decision.'"
Despite the early disaster, both Hamilton and Leclerc staged remarkable recovery drives from the back of the grid to finish third and fourth respectively. Hamilton, who had initially lined up second on the grid, admitted his heart completely sank when he saw the tyre blankets removed to reveal slicks on a treacherous, soaking track.
"My heart sank and I was kind of like, that's the race over," Hamilton told Sky Sports F1 after the race. Reflecting on mixed emotions, he added, "I'm really, really grateful to have got back to the podium... but then on the other side, obviously with the debates that we were having in the background, to then see the covers come off the car ahead and us on slicks, and the track being so tricky and dangerous at the beginning, it was definitely, yeah, my heart sank."
Hamilton stayed out on the slicks until the circuit finally dried, later calling it crazy to think they had been over a minute down before a late safety car helped him salvage third place.
