Guenther Steiner has given the one reason he would not want seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton to join his Haas team: his age.

Hamilton may have 103 more wins on his own than Haas have managed in their entire history but that is still not enough to convince Steiner to bring him to the American team should he have the option.

With Hamilton being the second oldest driver on the grid behind only Fernando Alonso, Steiner believes that his age is a barrier for some of the teams.

Hamilton turned 38 earlier this year and although Steiner did cite the performances of Alonso, he said he would not take Hamilton for his Haas team.

“I wouldn’t say Lewis,” Steiner replied when asked on the Sky Sports F1 podcast who of the current paddock he would take for his team. “Because he’s getting on with age but there is another one which he is very good. This is Fernando. I mean, the guy is over 40 and, man, he knows how to drive.”

As to who Steiner would take in this hypothetical situation, the Haas boss picked a trio of the youngest members on the grid.

“I think it will be controversial,” he said with a smile. “But I can be open about it because they are not coming to drive for me anyway! That’s solved that problem of the controversy. I think it would be Max for sure. And either Charles [Leclerc] or George Russell.”

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Asked to elaborate on why he would take Verstappen, Steiner said he was at the “peak” in terms of talent and mentality.

“I think he, in the moment, is just a driver, which talent wise and mentally wise, is just on a peak. He’s just on top of the wave, he can do anything with a car in the moment. Everything seems to be going right for him.”

Even if Steiner did somehow manage to convince Verstappen to leave Red Bull and join Haas, the next problem would be finding the funding for his contract with the Dutchman currently earning 11 times more than Kevin Magnussen.

The article Lewis Hamilton: Guenther Steiner reveals why he wouldn’t pick him for his F1 team appeared first on Planetf1.com.