Haas F1 Boss Steiner Does Not Want to Penalize Verstappen for Being So Good

Formula 1 should not be looking at any rule changes in an effort to try to slow three-time defending champion Max Verstappen or the Constructors' Champion Red Bull team's dominance.

So says Gunther Steiner, boss of the team at the exact opposite end of the grid to Red Bull. Some believe F1 and the FIA should take measures to ensure a more competitive sport, but Steiner does not agree.

"You can never blame the winner for being too good," Steiner said. "I firmly believe in that if someone else does better than you do, don't blame him for being so good.

"You can't do anything wrong to Max, but instead you have to make sure you improve yourself. There are many teams with the same qualities and the same infrastructure and the same number of personnel as Red Bull.

Obviously we are not on that list, but there are some teams that should be able to do it. It is not the case that this dominance will continue indefinitely."

As for Haas. The goals are going to once again be a little more modest and don't involve trying to keep up with Red Bull dynasty.

"At the beginning of the season, it looked like it was going to be a good season for us," said Steiner. "Five months later we thought it was going to be a sh*t season. We just couldn't find any speed in the car. When we realized that, it was already too late.

"That's our fault, it's that simple. We didn't realize in time that something was wrong," added Steiner, whose top driver Nico Hulkenberg has been recently critical of Haas' stalled development curve in 2023. "I'm not happy either. You can't be happy with 10th place."

So with Haas finishing dead last, Steiner says Haas hasn't really earned the right to get involved in any discussions about how to bring Red Bull's closest rivals closer to the pace for the sake of F1.

"We have other goals," Steiner told European media outlet Ziggo Sport. "We want to get back into the midfield. Our goal is not to beat Max.

"It is more of a general question whether it is good for the sport that someone dominates so much. And I think that the others have to improve."