Christian Horner takes a jab at Guenther Steiner over his Drive to Survive fame
Before his time at Haas, Guenther Steiner had a stint at Red Bull.
Never mind managing director at Jaguar, technical operations director at Red Bull, or even team principal at Haas, Christian Horner has quipped that Drive to Survive “made” Guenther Steiner.
After all, he became a leading character in the Netflix docuseries even though he never “achieved a podium in Formula 1”.
Christian Horner jabs Guenther Steiner over Netflix fame
Although Steiner and Horner have a long history in Formula 1, having joined forces when Horner was announced as Red Bull Racing‘s team principal in 2005 and Steiner returned to the team as its technical operations director, their careers took two very different paths.
Steiner was moved aside for design guru Adrian Newey after just one year, persuaded to establish a NASCAR team in the United States before leaving the Red Bull family in 2008. He went on to help establish the Haas F1 team, and returned to the Formula 1 paddock with the American entry in 2016.
Horner, meanwhile, had gone on to win four Drivers’ titles and four Constructors’ crowns as Red Bull’s team principal, dominating the standings from 2010 to 2013.
Shortly after Steiner’s return to the paddock, Netflix unveiled its ‘Formula 1: Drive to Survive’ series, a docuseries detailing the 2018 F1 championship in ten episodes.
Such was the interest in the series that Netflix has released eight seasons of Drive to Survive, covering the 2018 to 2025 championships.
And in the midst of it all, Steiner emerged as a star.
The Italian’s abrasive charm and willingness to speak his mind — and even swear in front of the camera — appealed to millions.
From “foking had enough” of his drivers to saying Kevin Magnussen should “not fok smash my door”, Steiner had a lot to say on Drive to Survive. And he’s had a lot to say since leaving the paddock at the end of the 2023 season after Haas did not renew his contract.
Speaking during live broadcasts, panels and podcasts, Steiner’s blunt opinion is still broadcast around the world.
Horner says he has Netflix to thank for that.
While promoting his autobiography, Drive, Horner spoke to Autosport about the Drive to Survive series.
“These guys are making a TV show,” he said, “so they take hours and hours and hours of footage, and it’s all about how you edit something.
“You can either make somebody look like the villain or the hero or vice versa.
“That show has been incredibly successful because it suddenly lifted the lid on some of the rivalries, the personalities, the drivers’ personalities, some of the characters.
“Guenther Steiner has made a career off the back of it… I mean, I don’t think he ever achieved a podium in Formula 1!
“But good for him.
“He is a character, quite a scary character when he worked for us, but yeah, it’s brought a whole new fan base into the sport, which has been fantastic.”
More on Christian Horner from PlanetF1.com
Christian Horner recalls ‘Mercedes’ ban quip at Red Bull Powertrains
Christian Horner backs Verstappen in much-asked F1 question
Horner went on to recall his brief time working with Steiner before Newey arrived.
It was, however, a very brief period as Horner joked that Steiner’s RB2 overheated, even in “three degree” temperatures.
“When I arrived at Red Bull, they said we’ve employed this guy that Niki Lauda had recommended, he used to be at Jaguar, his name’s Guenther Steiner,” added Horner.
“I’d never heard of him and when I looked him up on the internet he looked fairly scary, that was my first impression, and then Guenther turned up.
“He was then responsible for the RB2, the Ferrari-powered car that overheated in about three degrees at Silverstone on a shakedown.
“Adrian Newey turned up shortly afterwards and said ‘well, we’ll forget about that car’.
“Then Guenther went off within the Red Bull world to work on the NASCAR project that was just getting going and that was his sort of transition into the American world.”
Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.
You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!
Read Next: ‘Secret’ Lewis Hamilton meeting in new Christian Horner book claim
