“He Doesn’t Get That”: Guenther Steiner Responds Back to Toto Wolff’s ‘Air Is Thinner’’ Jibe

F1’s competitiveness can often get in the way of lasting friendships, but Toto Wolff and Guenther Steiner were an exception. They got along really well and took playful jabs at each other on numerous occasions. Respect helped them maintain such a good relationship.

Once, Wolff mocked Steiner for hailing from a mountainous region (he was born in Merano, Italy) where the air is thinner. But why would the Mercedes boss make fun of someone from the mountains? After all, Steiner came from a rather picturesque part of Northern Italy.

Steiner explained on The Red Flags podcast that people from big Austrian cities like Vienna—where Wolff was from—think less of people from the mountainous regions. “We are the hicks for them,” Steiner said. To those like Wolff, the likes of Steiner have a “less developed” brain because of the thin air.

The ex-Haas Team Principal, however, insisted that they were actually not hicks. “He [Wolff] doesn’t get that,” the 59-year-old said. He used an interesting analogy from the world of sports to explain his point further.

Steiner pointed out how Kenyans are excellent in marathons because they are used to training with little oxygen. As such, when they compete in areas with denser air, “They are so much better than the people who grew up with a lot of oxygen because they’re already on their limit“.

In the same way, Steiner declared himself more efficient than Wolff.

Steiner knows Wolff better than his wife

It wouldn’t be surprising to assume that Wolff’s wife, Susie, knows her husband better than anyone else. However, even she was shocked by how much Steiner knew about the Austrian. At one point, she even joked about feeling uncomfortable because of it.

Steiner, a regular guest on The Red Flags podcast, once appeared on an episode alongside Susie. With both of them on the same show, the hosts decided to spice things up by introducing a challenge to determine who knew Toto better.

 

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While Steiner answered most of the questions correctly, there was one answer of his that even impressed Susie. When asked to name Toto’s favorite bread, Steiner replied, “Rye bread“.

“This is getting scary now,” Susie said immediately. “You’re right, it is pumpernickel [a sweet rye bread]”. However, much to Susie’s relief, she won the quiz 3-2.