Günther Steiner, who has not been the team boss at Haas for a year now, has found a pleasant turn in his life as an F1 analyst and bestselling author. “Who wants to hurt or offend people? Not me.”
Mr. Steiner, how do you like life on the ‘other side’ of the camera?
“Very pleasant, haha. I’m enjoying it and learning what life is like without having to run a team. Suddenly so many new things are happening and that brings new challenges that I also need. Besides, I have time to do projects that I want to do. As for the television work: that’s relatively simple. Because I know what it’s about. When I interview another team boss, I already know ninety percent of what the answer will be. In general, I try to make the sport more insightful for the fans.”
Straightforward, without conflicts of interest.
“Certainly. But sometimes that’s difficult, because you don’t want to hurt or offend people. On the other hand, you have to be honest, it’s my opinion. Nobody has to agree with it, but I always try to be respectful and not very aggressive towards people. If something is going on and my opinion is asked, I’m not going to give an answer to please people. But I must admit: it’s a thin line you’re balancing on. It’s a bit like when I was team boss: you have to tell the truth without hurting people. Because who wants to hurt people? Not me.”
Are you enjoying the new role?
“Otherwise I wouldn’t do it. I don’t want to come across as arrogant, but I don’t have to do this… You know, when you’ve worked in Formula 1 for so long, it becomes your world. I think it’s a nice community, but I could certainly do without it. I have a family, I’m not single.”
You’re not bored.
“Last year I did twelve GPs and therefore traveled a lot less, which I love by the way. I also did a lot of other things, like a book promotion in the UK which kept me away from home for two weeks. I like it this way. Life is a lot less stressful, I no longer have the responsibility for hundreds of people from a racing team. Because if something goes wrong, you’re very busy with it. Always gives you a lot of stress.”
Your family must be happy that you’re on the road less.
“At home, they still complain that I’m not home enough, haha. They say: ‘You’re no longer in Formula 1 and travel less, you should be home more.'” Steiner laughs: “If possible, I take them to a few races.”
Are you happy with the success of Haas, your former employer?
“I still have many friends and connections there, I follow the team just like all the others closely. As an analyst, you have to be independent, but I’m happy for the people at Haas and everyone who worked on this car. There’s absolutely no envy on my part. A car isn’t built in a few months, a lot of work for the 2024 car was done the year before when I was still there. I’m genuinely pleased that the team is doing well.”
How many copies of Surviving to Drive have actually been sold?
“I can’t say for sure, but I believe it’s the best-selling motorsport book ever in the UK after a book by Murray Walker (legendary British F1 commentator). At least, that’s what I’ve been told. Don’t hold me to it: I haven’t counted them all… The book has been translated into ten or eleven languages, which I don’t think happens very often. I’m no expert on the book market.”
Why should people read Unfiltered, the new book by bestselling author Günther Steiner?
“It’s a story about Haas, still the youngest F1 team. Founded with a lot of nothing, when I had written a business plan. It’s a fascinating story, honestly. About how it all started, all the problems, setbacks, dramas, and how it ended. It’s written in the same casual style as the previous book: entertaining. So not factual or dry. It’s not a textbook, it has to fit my style a bit.”
