Guenther Steiner suggests Max Verstappen could be better suited to lead Ferrari
Former Haas Formula 1 team principal Guenther Steiner has questioned whether Lewis Hamilton is the driver to turn Ferrari’s fortunes around, suggesting Max Verstappen might be better suited to the role.
Hamilton joined Ferrari in 2025 after a successful 12-year stint with Mercedes, during which time he won six of his seven world titles.
After a tricky first season with Ferrari, the 41-year-old has shown glimpses of his former form in 2026. He claimed his maiden win with the Maranello outfit at the Barcelona Catalunya Grand Prix and currently sits fourth in the drivers’ standings with three rounds remaining.
But in recent race weekends, the intra-team dynamics at Ferrari has come under scrutiny due to on-track clashes between Hamilton and his team-mate Charles Leclerc.
On The Red Flags Podcast, the discussion turned to a theory that Ferrari has been most successful when a strong driver, such as Michael Schumacher, has taken charge of the team.
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Anadolu via Getty Images
“But is he the guy who can make the team win?” Steiner asked. “When strong drivers took over, they made it a success, but Fernando Alonso tried. Did he succeed? No. Do you think Lewis is the right guy to make this happen?”
Asked whether Verstappen would be better suited to that position, Steiner explained: “You know how Max is. He wouldn’t stop. He’s relentless. That could be the solution.”
Steiner’s co-host Brian Muller added: “Well, they’re not getting Max anytime soon. So, what they have is Lewis, and if they’re not ready to drop things when you have a seven-time world champion who’s ready to make Ferrari great again, and you’re not ready to jump on that when it’s time, then you’ve got bigger problems.”
It follows Ralf Schumacher’s claim that the Briton “never learned how to lead a team”.
“Hamilton never learned how to lead a team, not under Toto Wolff and not under Ron Dennis,” the former driver said during Sky Sports Germany’s Backstage Boxengasse podcast. “That was never his job anyway. He just had to get in the car and drive as fast as possible.
“You can see that, and it’s made him quite egotistical as well.”
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