Former Haas Formula 1 team principal Guenther Steiner has delivered a scathing assessment of Aston Martin’s performance at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, branding its current campaign “not acceptable”.
Speaking on The Red Flags Podcast, Steiner did not mince his words when asked to name his biggest disappointment of the Barcelona race weekend. The Silverstone outfit endured a torrid time, struggling for pace before triggering a late-race virtual safety car when Fernando Alonso stopped on the track.
“I think it must be Aston Martin because Aston Martin makes even Cadillac look good, and Cadillac was down three laps at the end of a race,” Steiner said. “But it made Cadillac look good. What Aston Martin is doing now is just, in my opinion, not acceptable.”
He added: “It’s not F1 standards anymore. It’s like having the local guy there. You’re dead last, but by a mile and then you don’t finish the race as well.”
When questioned whether F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali should or could intervene, Steiner added: “Stefano can’t do anything about it. They are there, and they don’t perform obviously, and I don’t think that Lawrence Stroll is proud of what is happening there.
“But obviously, the buck stops with him. He owns the team, but it’s one of these things. Stefano is not entitled to do anything. He has no authority to say when they should come in, when they shouldn’t come in, what they are doing, how they are performing.
Guenther Steiner
Photo by: Jayce Illman / Getty Images
“In F1, there is no relegation rule in the regulations because in most sports, if you’re not performing, guess what? You’re relegated.”
Despite the criticism, Steiner rejected the idea that team owner Lawrence Stroll lacked commitment.
“It’s not a lack of trying from Lawrence Stroll,” he continued. “I think there are very few people who put this much money of their own into Formula 1 as Lawrence did. But obviously, he cannot get it right.”
Aston Martin has struggled since the new regulations were introduced in 2026. It currently sits 10th in the constructors’ standings with one point, only ahead of Cadillac.
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