Haas Motorsports has fired its former Formula 1 team boss Günther Steiner. While this is a very sensible decision for Haas as a racing organization that wants to be successful in Formula 1 (and after the team finished last in the 2023 Constructors’ Cup, it probably comes a little late), it is a devastating blow for the fans from Netflix Drive to survive.
Despite being arguably one of the least successful team bosses in recent memory, Steiner was a godsend for the Box to Box reality show producers. He is an absolute character, a real weirdo that only European sports can produce. He’s cheeky, loud, opinionated, full of strange sayings and bizarre jokes and he seemed to get along well with everyone. (Except occasionally his drivers.)
In other words, everything about him is absolutely perfect for a reality series, especially one that’s trying to get off the ground. Even better, he worked for one of the lowest-ranked teams in the sport and therefore had nothing to lose by allowing cameras in his paddock and behind the scenes for tons of access.
For the most Drive to surviveThrough the five seasons, Steiner has essentially remained the show’s main character. Sure, the show now has a lot more access to the rest of the teams than before, and even the top teams are lining up to get their photo taken in front of the camera, but there’s still no character like Günther.
Steiner was also a fantastic entry point into the sport. A careful, eccentric explainer of racing, Steiner’s talking head shorts have a talent for helping viewers learn more about racing without even realizing it. In addition, the incredible energy of his northern Italian father provides a nice change from the young confidence of all drivers.
The only problem with all of this is that he didn’t help Haas score points. He became a reality star, but that didn’t translate into results on the track, meaning his days at Haas were numbered. Steiner will be replaced by Ayao Komatsu, who has been Haas’ track engineer since 2016 and was there often Drive to survive.
The good news for Drive to survive Fans are clear that while Günther is unique, there is never a shortage of characters in Formula 1. We’ll just have to wait two seasons to find out who, as the upcoming season is expected to arrive sometime in February or March – following his final year as Haas team boss.
