Now, as Motorsport.com Italia reports, Christian Horner has delivered a rather pointed observation about Guenther Steiner and his rise to global fame. The former Red Bull team principal noted that while his former colleague built an enormous following through Netflix's Drive to Survive, he never actually tasted the champagne of a Formula 1 podium.
Steiner spent years leading Haas from 2014 until his removal after the 2023 season, a tenure that yielded two last-place finishes in the constructors' championship and a best result of fifth in 2018. Aside from Kevin Magnussen's stunning wet pole position at the 2002 Brazilian Grand Prix (wait, let's keep the source timeline straight: the source says 2022), true on-track highlights were few and far between. Yet his unfiltered personality and liberal use of foul language turned him into a breakout television star, complete with his own book titled Surviving to Drive.
Horner, whose own CV boasts fourteen world titles, understands the magic of the edit. Speaking to Autosport, Horner explained that television producers can easily craft heroes and villains out of endless hours of footage, lifting the veil on personalities and rivalries. But then came the kicker regarding Steiner's actual racing record: "Guenther Steiner has built a career thanks to that... I mean, I don't think he ever got a podium in Formula 1!"
That said, Horner acknowledged the broader positive impact, adding that Steiner brought an entirely new fanbase to the sport. The pair's paths crossed long before the Netflix era. Steiner's motorsport journey started as a World Rally Championship mechanic before jumping to F1 in 2001 as managing director for Jaguar, a post he left at the end of 2002. When the team morphed into Red Bull, Steiner served as director of technical operations for the 2005 debut season.
Horner recalled his very first impression upon arriving at Red Bull, when management told him about the hiring recommended by Niki Lauda. After looking him up online, Horner thought he looked rather frightening. Soon enough, technical issues surfaced with the RB2—a Ferrari-powered machine that famously overheated during a shakedown at Silverstone when ambient temperatures were around three degrees. Shortly after, Adrian Newey arrived and dismissed the design entirely, leading to Steiner's transition over to Red Bull's new NASCAR technical director role until 2008.
Today, the sixty-one-year-old Steiner has taken his talents to two wheels, serving as CEO of the Tech3 MotoGP team. As the lone KTM satellite squad on the grid, they currently sit eighth in the standings with 139 points.
