Haas Motorsports has fired its former Method 1 crew principal Guenther Steiner. Whereas it is a very smart resolution for Haas as a racing group wanting to reach F1 (and after the crew completed in final place within the 2023 Constructor’s Cup, it’s in all probability coming slightly late), it’s a devastating blow to followers of Netflix’s Drive to Survive.
Whereas arguably one among least profitable crew principals in current reminiscence, Steiner was a godsend for the fact present producers at Field to Field. He’s an absolute character, a real weirdo in methods solely European sports activities can produce. He’s brash, loud, opinionated, full of strange sayings and weird jokes, and he seemingly acquired alongside nice with everybody. (Besides, often, his drivers.)
In different phrases, all the pieces about him is pitch-perfect for a actuality sequence, particularly one making an attempt to get off the bottom. Even higher, he was working for one of many lowest-ranked groups within the sport, so he had nothing to lose by permitting cameras into his paddock and behind the scenes for tons of entry.
For many of Drive to Survive’s 5 seasons, Steiner has primarily remained the present’s primary character. Certain, the present has far more entry to the remainder of the groups now than it did earlier than, with even the highest groups lining as much as get their shot on digicam, however there’s nonetheless no character fairly like Guenther.
Steiner was additionally a incredible entry level into the game. A cautious, eccentric explainer of racing, Steiner has a expertise in his talking-head shorts for serving to viewers be taught extra about racing with out even realizing it. On high of that, his unimaginable Northern Italian dad power gives a pleasant respite from the young-buck confidence of the entire drivers.
The one drawback with all of that is that he wasn’t serving to Haas rating any factors. He turned a actuality star, however that wasn’t translating to outcomes on the monitor, which meant his days with Haas had been numbered. Steiner can be changed by Ayao Komatsu, who has been Haas’ trackside engineer since 2016, and has additionally appeared usually on Drive to Survive.
The excellent news for Drive to Survive followers is that though Guenther is one among a sort, there’s by no means a scarcity of characters concerned in Method 1. We’ll simply have to attend for 2 seasons from now to seek out out who, because the upcoming season — seemingly arriving someday in February or March — will comply with his remaining 12 months as Haas’s crew principal.
