Ahead of the 2024 season, Haas parted ways with their long-time team principal Guenther Steiner. Steiner, who is a hugely popular figure, especially among fans who loved Netflix’s Drive to Survive documentary, will be a huge miss in the paddock. But the thought of having a Drive to Survive season without him seems unfathomable. Thankfully, he gives his fans some good news.
Steiner was present in the paddock ahead of F1’s opening race of 2024 in Bahrain, but not as a team principal anymore. He is working as a pundit for RTL, a German media house, and was covering the race from the trackside. Usually, when the Italian-American walks around, Netflix’s cameras are always around him, and this time it was no different.
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During a conversation with Sky Sports‘ team of experts that included Simon Lazenby, Damon Hill, and Naomi Schiff, Steiner revealed that Netflix is still “following him.”
Lazenby expected Steiner to be out of Netflix’s clutches but the latter insisted that it was not the case. “They’re still with me, still with me” confirmed the former Haas boss as he pointed at the boom mic above from the American OTT streaming service company. This left everyone amazed as it means that Steiner will once again feature in the widely popular docuseries.
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Netflix loves Steiner, because he is one of the stars of the show that contributed to the massive growth of F1. Photojournalist Kym Illman also revealed that when Steiner made a return to the paddock, the entire Netflix crew rejoiced, giving him a very warm welcome.
Guenther Steiner, star of Drive to Survive
Guenther Steiner, with his boldness and lack of filter won over the Drive to Survive fans very quickly. He appeared on the show right from season one and has become a household name among F1 fans since. On the track, he never tasked a lot of success while in charge of Haas. But personally, he gained a lot from starring on the show.
He became as popular as the more successful team principals like Toto Wolff, and his fame made him write a book named ‘Surviving to Drive’, which unsurprisingly became a bestseller.
“The last year, year and a half was difficult”
Guenther Steiner explains his exit from Haas pic.twitter.com/pZIDJeMSjK
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) March 2, 2024
This stardom, however, came back to bite him according to several reports. Gene Haas was not happy about how his team’s name became synonymous with Steiner, and behind-the-scenes politics in the off-season led to the 58-year-old’s dismissal. Steiner was reportedly aware of his popularity and wanted shares in the team, something Haas would never agree to.
As of now, Steiner insist he is happy to be away from F1. He can enjoy the sport from the sidelines for some time, and is in no hurry to find his way back into F1 as a boss.
