23 Apr 2025
Retired Formula One driver, Christian Danner, told Genting Casino that Lando Norris is making far too many mistakes to be competitive.
The commentator for German channel RTL, who raced for Jaguar Racing and Arrows BMW, points to Oscar Piastri as this season’s winner.
The ex-Le Mans driver added that Mercedes are no more likely to tempt Verstappen away from Red Bull than anyone else.
And he said Yuki Tsunoda was no improvement on Sergio Perez, who he suspects has left Formula One for good.
Read the full interview below.
Q: Do you agree with the Max Verstappen penalty?
CD: “I agree with the Max Verstappen penalty. But it's worth discussing in more detail. The decision was based on driving standards guidelines. It’s not part of the official regulations but rather an agreement between the drivers and the race director at the time, Niels Wittich, who has since left. These guidelines were introduced to help stewards make consistent decisions.
“They became public after Lando Norris attempted to overtake Verstappen in Texas last year. Despite trying several times, he never got by because Max consistently braked later and forced both of them off into the runoff area. That incident highlighted the problems with stretching the boundaries of these guidelines.
“Max did the same thing again in this case. He braked late to stay ahead - understandable, of course - but it was Piastri’s corner. Oscar had the better start, the inside line, and he braked late too. Max simply braked even later and ended up in the runoff. Then he claimed Oscar pushed him off. He didn’t. Oscar was on the racing line and drove correctly through the corner.
“Every racing driver knows what Max did, and why. He wanted to win and staying ahead was the only path. He could’ve avoided the penalty by backing off or letting Oscar through. The stewards made the right call. Drivers, engineers and strategists all push things to the limit.
“That’s racing. This won't be the last such incident, especially now that Verstappen knows Piastri is made of different stuff.
“Look, if you’re a successful F1 driver, you drive on the car’s physical and legal limits.
“The physical limit is things like understeer and oversteer. The legal limit is: where can I overtake? Am I allowed to zigzag down the straight? How can I position myself to make overtaking nearly impossible?
“Max deserves 10 out of 10 for operating right at that limit. The only issue is when he ends up crossing into territory that isn’t allowed. But the stewards aren’t dumb, they follow everything closely and speak to the drivers. They’re fully aware of what’s going on. In that case, Enrique Bernoldi was the driver steward, he knows what he’s doing.”
Q: Do you think Max Verstappen needs to rethink his driving style?
CD: “Verstappen does not need to change his style at all. His style is aggressive, but he plays within the rules, most of the time. He doesn’t need to create his own rules, just follow the existing ones.
“In Texas, he played it smart, knowing what he could get away with. This time he misread the situation and got penalized. He doesn’t need to change his approach, just accept the facts.”
Q: Christian Horner later showed some pictures to journalists, what did you think of that?
CD: “Jonathan Wheatley, now at Sauber, chuckled when asked about Turn 1 and said he would’ve given different advice, which means he agreed with the stewards.
“Let him go, race later, try the undercut. Horner can show as many pictures as he wants, but it was clear what Max did wasn’t within the rules.”
Q: Lewis Hamilton was quite scathing post-race. Can he forget about his 8th title in a Ferrari?
CD “Honestly, it’s looking like Lewis Hamilton can forget an eighth title in a Ferrari. Talking about Lewis publicly is tough, he polarises opinion. Half the fans think he’s past it, the other half think he walks on water.
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