Christian Horner took advantage of a recent interview to launch an ironic critique of Guenther Steiner, director of the Haas team, who has gained notable popularity thanks to the Netflix series Drive to Survive, despite the few milestones in the world of Formula 1.
Steiner, at the helm of Haas from 2014 to 2023, oversaw two seasons in which the team finished in last place in the standings, with his best result being a fifth place achieved in 2018 before being replaced. The most notable moment of his career was when Kevin Magnussen secured pole in the rain during the Brazilian Grand Prix in 2022, although successes have been scarce.
However, his authentic personality and his outbursts during the show have resonated with the public, and he even published a book titled Surviving to Drive, detailing how he capitalized on his fame beyond sporting successes.
Referring to Steiner, Horner commented: ‘These guys are making a TV show, so they work with hours and hours of footage and edit it all to make someone seem like a villain or a hero. This series has been a huge success because it has uncovered rivalries and personalities in the world of F1, as well as many drivers. Guenther has built a career out of this… I don’t think he would have ever achieved a podium in Formula 1!’
Horner added that Steiner’s popularity has been positive for the world of Formula 1, which is usually bogged down in technical matters. ‘Good for him. He is a character, a rather fearsome character when he worked for us, but he has brought a new base of fans to our sport, which has been fantastic.’
Steiner began his career as a mechanic in the World Rally Championship before jumping to Formula 1 in 2001 as the managing director of Jaguar, a position he left at the end of 2002. Subsequently, he became the technical operations director at Red Bull, where he participated in the team’s debut in F1 in 2005.
Currently, Guenther Steiner holds the position of CEO of the MotoGP team Tech3, the only satellite team of KTM in the category, which currently stands in eighth place in the 2026 championship with 139 points.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
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