SUMMARY
- Guenther Steiner was oen of the star personalities of Netflix's Drive to Survive series
- Steiner's departure from the sport could negatively affect the rating of Drive to Survive
There is no doubt that Guentehre Steiner is one of the stars of Netflix’s Drive to Survive. The Docuseries debuted after the 2018 season and has helped increase the value of F1. The series features Guenther Steiner, the Team Principal for the Haas F1 team as one of the key members of the show.
Guenther became popular for his phrases and unfiltered honesty during the show. Given that Haas was a struggling team with limited resources, Steiner had a lot to be stressed and angry about. The fans found this entertaining and got engaged with it.
Will Netflix lose a lot with Guenther Steiner’s departure from F1?
After the 2023 season, it was announced that Guenther would no longer serve as the team principal for Haas. This came as a shock to the F1 world since there were no indications of this happening. Usually, when big news like this hits the media, there are some rumors about the topic. But the firing of Steiner came out of nowhere.
Given that Steiner was one of the most popular people among fans, the Netflix Drive to Survive series could take a hit due to his absence. For those who are wondering, he will be present during the upcoming season which will release towards the end of February. However, he will not be there from season 7 onwards. Some F1 fans may choose to avoid watching the Netflix series after this season due to this reason.
Bernie Ecclestone lashes out at Haas and Guenther Steiner:
“There has never been such a failed team boss who has become a superstar thanks to an American series.”
“In my time, when only performance counted, that never happened.”#F1 pic.twitter.com/fshjge3Nlv
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) January 15, 2024
After the announcement of his departure from the team, the owner of Haas, Gene Haas made a statement. He claimed that after 10 years of racing, there was nothing to show for. None of its cars ever finished on the podium of F1, they have not been able to perform consistently. After almost a decade of racing, the team is still struggling to get out of the last place in the WCC.
Although Guenther may have been a very popular personality, there is no doubt that he does not have the results on paper to show for his work. However, there are some who blame this on Gene Haas. According to the reports, Gene Haas and Guenther had a falling out because they both had different views on the team.
The only way Guenther Steiner can revive Drive to Survive
If the ratings for Drive to Survive fall due to Guenther Steiner’s departure from F1, the producers will have only one hope; Guenther needs to find his way back to the sport. Given that he was the team principal for an F1 team, he may not accept a role beneath this. His best option lies with Audi.
Audi Motorsport will be making its Formula 1 debut during the 2026 season. The team has already started to prepare for this. Audi is looking to become successful very early after making their debut. For this, they will need a capable leader. Given that Guenther Steiner has a lot of experience in leading a team and experience as a technical director, he could be a good choice for Audi.
“Nobody was happy with the results of 2023 but I didn’t see this coming” 💬
Guenther Steiner gives his thoughts on his Haas departure 👇 pic.twitter.com/3w6whybFf7
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) January 13, 2024
Before Guenther became a team principal for Haas, he was the technical director for Jaguar racing in F1 which was bought out by Red Bull. After Adrian Newey took the role of Technical Director for Red Bull, Steiner filled the same role in Red Bull’s NASCAR team. This has given him the experience and expertise to become a successful team leader in F1. Unlike Haas, Audi will have the resources to build the proper infrastructure. This should make Steiner’s job easier.
It will be interesting if Audi makes Steiner an offer. But do you think this will actually happen? If not who do you think Audi should hire as their team principal? Post your answers in the comment section below.