Guenther Steiner says one race winner should be ‘worried’ about his Formula 1 future

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Guenther Steiner believes that some of the more experienced drivers on the Formula 1 grid are coming under more and more pressure.

The Sao Paulo Grand Prix saw Andrea Kimi Antonelli produce the best result of his burgeoning F1 career, finishing second ahead of Max Verstappen.

Three more drivers in their first full Formula 1 seasons finished in the points, including a P7 and P8 for Racing Bulls stars Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar, and a sixth-place finish for Haas rookie Oliver Bearman.

Bearman continues to be touted as Lewis Hamilton’s future Ferrari replacement after a fine second half to the 2025 F1 season.

However, Guenther Steiner believes that this is starting to put pressure on his teammate, Esteban Ocon, as he once again failed to secure a top 10 finish.

READ MORE: Haas driver Esteban Ocon’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend

Guenther Steiner says Esteban Ocon should be ‘worried’ about his Formula 1 future

Steiner was asked whether Ocon should be scared on The Red Flags Podcast after being beaten by Bearman over the past few weeks.

He said: “I think he should be worried, yeah.

“I mean, how many times did he get stuck in Q1 now, Esteban? Quite a few, and Ollie goes into Q3? Quite a few times.

“And it’s not 10th in Q3, it’s eighth in Q3. So, obviously, I mean, when Nico was beaten by Bortoleto, when Hulkenberg was beaten by Bortoleto, nobody talks about Ocon like this, you know.

“But, it’s even worse than Nico.”

Steiner was then asked if Ocon is among the drivers who should be worried about his seat in 2026 and made the point: “But is there anybody coming from behind to fill these openings, or are the current ones still the best option, even if they are not 22 anymore?

“I mean, how long does Fernando Alonso go on for? He will be 45 at the beginning of 2027, and Lewis will be 42.

“And if he doesn’t have a good season next year, as I said before, I think he will leave at his own wish. But who is coming from behind? Which big talent?”

READ MORE: All to know about Haas F1 Team from team principal to Ferrari and Toyota ties

Esteban Ocon’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix ruined by an early puncture as points continue to elude him

Speaking after the race at Interlagos, where he finished 12th from the pit lane, Ocon said: “I would’ve been much further up today if I had not gotten a puncture in the early laps, and unfortunately, it came as the VSC [virtual safety car] finished and the race restarted.

“I was there at the end, fighting for a point with a group of drivers, and it was looking good, but unfortunately, I was missing a few laps.

“I felt the progress; we had good pace, but luck wasn’t on our side today.”

Ocon is now on a run of scoring two points in the last six events, having grabbed P9 at the Mexico City Grand Prix.

Only Franco Colapinto (0), Lance Stroll (0) and Pierre Gasly (2) have failed to outscore Ocon since the Italian Grand Prix, highlighting his recent struggles.

Ocon has been left surprised by Bearman since he arrived at Haas, and the British driver is only likely to get stronger as he gains more experience.

Toyota will be pushing behind the scenes to move one of their drivers into Formula 1 with Haas, and Ocon will have to be wary of that threat if his results don’t improve soon.