Steiner swears only once in this interview and he is thoughtful, and so I wonder if he also gets weary of his comic persona. Have people forgotten the nous and vast experience in motorsport which helped him set up Haas as a pioneering US team and how he has managed to keep them racing? “I wouldn’t say forgotten,” he says with an airy wave. “And there’s no need to remind people all the time what I actually did. The most important thing is Mr Haas still thinks I do the right job. I think I do a decent job and I know my priority is to run the team.”

In his book Steiner suggests: “The two things I am good at, other than talking bullshit all the time, are delivering bad news and persuading people to say yes. That’s my entire skillset.” So which of these three attributes has he had to call on most this year, with Haas having scored eight points and lying eighth out of 10 teams in the championship? “Actually, I didn’t have to use a lot this season. It’s going pretty steady. Fingers crossed because it could all change. But it’s one of the calmest years up to now.” People talk about football managers being under pressure. Trust me, that’s nothing. Pressure is watching one of your drivers hit a barrier at 190mph and exploding before your eyes…”Mazepin was replaced by Kevin Magnussen, who took a stunning fifth-place finish on his return to Haas in Bahrain, and would later go on to score the team’s maiden pole position in Brazil. Guenther Steiner (right) with counterparts Toto Wolff of Mercedes and Red Bull’s Christian Horner. Photograph: Mark Thompson/Getty Images Who has been the best team principal during his time in F1? “I would say [Mercedes’s] Toto Wolff because he also came in nine years ago. He looked at it very carefully for a long time and he has done a good job – not only the seven championships but also the good organisation and the way he behaves in business.”

Steiner intersperses some of the more humdrum days at grands prix with tales from his rallying years—his experience of a Dakar Rally disaster is extraordinary—his bafflement at the fame that his Haas role and DTS popularity has brought, as well as how he balances family life with 10 months of the year on the road. Steiner could probably write another book alone with just stories from his disastrous time at Jaguar alongside the late Niki Lauda, who emerges as one of Steiner’s biggest inspirations. It’s clear from the outset who this book is aimed at: those fans of F1 who came to the sport via the smash-hit Netflix docuseries Drive to Survive. The clue is in the name, but also in the author.What sets this book apart from other F1 books is its unique format. Instead of the traditional biographies that we've seen before from technical directors and principals which span an entire career, Steiner chronicles the events and difficulties of the 2022 season. He shares the changes and challenges brought about by the lingering effects of the pandemic, as well as what it's like to be a team principal managing the impact of new FIA rules, the budget cap, and handling a Russian driver with Russian sponsors amidst the developing situation in Ukraine. They don’t hang out together on an off weekend but they cleared the air a few years ago. I spoke with Kevin because I wanted to make sure that there was no animosity any more between them and he said: ‘I’m very happy having Nico as a teammate because he’s a very good driver.’ So for me that was OK.” The book is about the Haas’ 2022 season, race by race. Alongside that Guenther tells a bit about him self, about how he got where he is right now, and about the team’s past. He also gives his thoughts about certain things F1 related shares his ideas on various topics. Like real Guenter style this book is full of humor and swearing. The only downside was that the book felt repetitive rather fast. So and now to the F1 part. IDK I would have loved to have go into more depth. Like most of the things he wrote you knew. But I would actually LOVE to know what goes on in a team when a crash happens (lets be honest that why most wanted to read it) or how you handle talking to a driver, what you mention etc. Same with when a car faliure happens .Don't say "well wopps the car boke well anyway" but what do you say to the driver who had nothing to do with it, what do you say to the mechanics or generally how you handle that as a team principle. Going to interviews, talking to Communications etc.

It’s the hard work of everyone on our team that has returned us to the fight in Formula 1 and I can’t thank everyone who’s a part of Haas F1 Team enough for their efforts and dedication. Surviving to Drive—a not-so-subtle linguistic twist on Drive to Survive—is the most anticipated Formula 1 book in some time. The book promises to be “uncompromising and searingly honest, told in Steiner’s inimitable style” and give fans a look at the inner-workings of an F1 team from the view of a team principal. But Steiner’s thoughts will now be available for fans to read in the new book, published by Transworld and due for release next April. He also discusses the more important (but less discussed) issues in Formula 1, like which team principal he thinks would fare best in a cage match, fights with the FIA and German media, and the true cost of all those phone calls to Gene. There were parts of this book where I was crying with laughter, I couldn’t put it down. Given the year in review format, is it too desperate to hope for a new edition each year? Possibly.

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Is he tired of the attention because, in some quarters of F1 fandom, Steiner stands alongside Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton as one of the most recognised faces of the sport? “Yeah, a little bit because I’m not doing it for the attention. The attention came with [Netflix] and changing my attitude would be wrong. I think Formula One without the fans is nothing. A lot of people in F1 think we race for ourselves. No, we race for the fans because otherwise we are not racing. So if the fans like it and if they want a picture, why would I say no? But it takes time out of my day and I’m running a team and I cannot just run around taking pictures. My boss would not be happy with that one.” As fun as I see it is to make a inside DTS joke But honestly after the 5000 fok it just got annoying. Gernerally the "fun guentherism" words just got on my nerve.

I love how he wrote this book as diary entries and it felt like he was speaking to you. It was very authentic and it was just a great read. Surviving to Drive” serves as Steiner’s diary of the 2022 season, during which Haas went through a turbulent pre-season, cutting ties with title sponsor Uralkali and driver Nikita Mazepin in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It is clear throughout that every thought and decision for Steiner is about what is best for Haas and its workforce. We look like a bunch of legends‘! Günther Steiner, teambaas van het Haas F1 team, staat na de Netflix-serie Drive to Survive bekend om zijn oneliners. Maar in zijn boek Surviving to drive biedt hij een inkijkje in het 2022 seizoen, en zijn visie op de races.

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Written in Steiner’s voice the stylized ‘fok’ and ‘jeezos’ can become a little grating through the course of the year, but conversely it does add to the individualistic aura of the book and remind you this is Steiner and no one else. We have a bigger sponsor with Moneygram and we have got out of a tough place [after Covid] in 2020 pretty good. But, for sure, the drivers are part of it.” Steiner staat dus bekend om zijn hilarische opmerkingen in Drive tot survive, maar in zijn boek kan hij er ook wat van! Bijvoorbeeld wanneer hij Alonso omschrijft als “Hij is ouder dan god […] Hij is net een gelukspoppetje. Soms een chagrijnig exemplaar, maar alsnog een gelukspoppetje.” 😂