Grosjean: Netflix showed Steiner’s leadership

Jamie Woodhouse
Guenther Steiner very unhappy

Guenther Steiner very unhappy

Romain Grosjean believes Netflix’s ‘Drive to Survive’ Season Two highlighted the leadership skills of Haas principal Guenther Steiner.

2019 was Haas’ most troubled season since joining Formula 1 in 2016. The team slumped to P9 in the Drivers’ Championship having finished P5 in the previous year, as the VF-19 sunk down the pack on a race day.

The second episode of Drive to Survive’s second series, which gives viewers a glimpse behind-the-scenes in Formula 1, focused on Haas and their woes.

Grosjean and team-mate Kevin Magnussen were involved in several on-track clashes last year, most notably at the British Grand Prix where first-lap contact ultimately forced the pair to retire.

Steiner’s reaction was explosive as Netflix captured the audio of a stern telling off from the boss to his drivers, while their cameras then showed him storming out into the paddock area infuriated by Magnussen’s reaction.

But Grosjean says that the cameras showed Steiner’s leadership skills, and that there are no politics at Haas.

“There is no politics. There are no hidden things, and that’s surprising for Formula 1,” Grosjean is quoted by Motorsport.com.

“If we look at these other teams, and what happens, you can tell that it’s a very different situation.

“When Gunther is not happy, he would tell you. And it doesn’t mean that he’s angry against you. We’ve got a good relationship and we’re friends, but outside he will tell you what is right and what is wrong.

“And you can also tell him what is right and what is wrong. That’s the way we move.”

Grosjean said that he would like to have seen more of Haas’ hard work shown in the episode.

“When you know the world from inside, it doesn’t show everything,” he explained.

“If you ask me about the Haas episode, I would have liked to see a little bit more of the hard work from the boys behind the scenes.

“We all see the terrible situation that we were in, but I believe they could have been shown a little bit more of the actual work, that was done to try to jump out of the hole.

“I guess it wasn’t in the scenario.”

That being said, Grosjean thinks Drive to Survive is an “incredible” series.

“I think it’s great for the fans. I think it opens Formula 1 up to people that did not necessarily know about it, and the quality is incredible,” said the Frenchman.

“I actually wish that I could give them more. I think it’s great.”

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