Guenther Steiner says ‘pretty average’ driver should never have been racing in Formula 1 this season

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Former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner has never been shy about sharing his opinions.

Guenther Steiner became one of the stars of Drive to Survive during his time on the grid as his no-nonsense approach to Formula 1 made him very popular.

Now, he’s no longer Haas team principal, but he’s a regular feature on the grid this season in his new role as a pundit.

It means he’s seen all the action up close throughout 2025, with plenty of talking points to dive into, including the plethora of driver changes that happened over the winter.

Some drivers have adapted faster than others, with the likes of Isack Hadjar, Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg all standing out with their new teams.

However, others have needed more time to adapt, with Carlos Sainz struggling more than expected to get up to speed at Williams, and the man who replaced him, Lewis Hamilton, not having the easiest time at Ferrari.

Steiner has pinpointed another driver who appears to be lacking some confidence after their most recent races, and wonders whether they were even supposed to be on the grid at all this year.

READ MORE: Know all about 2025 Mercedes F1 driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli including stats

Guenther Steiner thinks Kimi Antonelli was ‘never’ supposed to be on the F1 grid this season

Steiner was asked on The Red Flags Podcast’s feature ‘Gas or Brake’ whether new Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli was promoted to Mercedes too soon this season.

He said: “Gas. I think there was never a plan to have him in the car this year.

“The plan came when Lewis said, goodbye, ciao ciao. I’m going to Ferrari.

“Then the plan changed because I think the plan for Kimi was to do another year in Formula 2 and come in next year. I think it was a little bit too early.

“He’s 18 years old. I hope he is not broken now because he had a pole position, a podium, but the rest of it is pretty average, I would say, at best, what he’s doing compared to his teammate.

“He was crying there, which is never good because it seems like he lost his confidence. It’s not good, as I say.

“I think he’s a good driver. How good? Only time will tell, but he’s a good driver.

“But being under this pressure, I mean, look at Liam Lawson. When he was at Red Bull, he struggled.

“He went back to Racing Bulls, he’s doing a lot better now. He’s doing now what you can do in a Racing Bull.

“When you’re in one of these top cars, there is too much pressure on these guys.”

READ MORE: All you need to know about Mercedes F1 Team from team principal to lineage

Kimi Antonelli still waiting for confirmation of his Mercedes future beyond 2025

Antonelli has scored points in one of the last seven races, although that statistic is slightly misleading.

He’s suffered from far more reliability issues than teammate George Russell, and his home race at Imola was particularly heart-breaking as he suffered an engine failure in front of thousands of his fans.

Russell looks set to sign a new contract after months of speculation that he could be replaced by Max Verstappen.

Verstappen also appears set to continue at Red Bull for at least one more year, and Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has been making noises that suggest he will continue with his current driver pairing into next year.

However, details of a new deal for Antonelli are yet to emerge, and given that Verstappen may never publicly confirm his plans for 2026, that leaves the teenager in an awkward position.

Steiner’s suggestion that it might have been too soon to promote Antonelli ignores the highs of this current campaign.

But the lack of confidence Antonelli has been talking about suggests that his maiden season could have been handled slightly differently.