Steiner’s star on rise... just like Haas after early troubles

Tough-talking principal inspiring success at backmarkers following difficult pre-season

- Matt Majendie

WHEN cameras first rolled on Drive to Survive, its creators could barely have envisaged Guenther Steiner would become one of its leading figures.

But, as the Italian-American’s Haas team stuttered to last place last season, Steiner’s star could not have shone brighter.

His expletive-laden time on camera means his 13-year-old daughter is not allowed to watch the show, but his emotive straight-talking has earned him the sort of global audience which sees him stopped for photographs and autographs as much as any driver on the grid.

One rival team boss has even collected memes made of him on social media to keep him regularly updated. But they are the only elements of Drive to Survive that Steiner has ever glimpsed.

He has no plans to watch it until his Formula One days are over, his thinking being that if he does, it will cause him to change his approach on camera. “I don’t want to do that, because this is me and I’m not doing anything different than I did before,” he said. “I’m just doing my job and, if people are interested, it’s fantastic.