sport news Guenther Steiner reveals he WILL be back on Drive to Survive next year, opens ... trends now
To Formula One fans of the so-called 'Drive to Survive era', there is one man who stands alone as the face of the sport.
It's not seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, or rising star Lando Norris with his legions of social media supporters. It's not even Max Verstappen, the Red Bull icon who doesn't go more than a fortnight without winning a race.
Instead, it is Guenther Steiner - the former team principal of the Haas F1 team - whose sweary, infectious personality turned him into the surprise star of the mega-popular Netflix docuseries.
Therefore, when news emerged of his departure from the sport at the end of the 2023 season, it immediately led to speculation over his future on the show. Did no more Guenther in the paddock mean no more Guenther on our TV screens?
Speaking exclusively to Mail Sport from Miami this week, the 58-year-old Italian was able to clear a few things up - and the news will delight his hordes of supporters.
Guenther Steiner spoke exclusively to Mail Sport about his future, and Drive to Survive
The former Haas F1 boss has become a rockstar amid the success of the Netfix docuseries
When asked if he is planning to sit down in front of the Netflix cameras for the next season, Steiner said: 'I did already! I don't know if they'll use it, I can't promise that one, but I put my effort into it.
'So yeah, you might still have to see me!'
In truth, his shock exit from the paddock at the end of 2023 hasn't meant we've seen less of him anyway. In the months since he cleared out his locker at Haas, he's taken on a regular column for the F1 website, and enjoyed punditry roles with RTL in Germany and Network 10 in Australia.
Next month, he will be at the forefront of the Miami Grand Prix in his new ambassador role, and his post-F1 life has become almost as busy as his time inside the paddock.
'I tried to do little, and then all of a sudden I got busy again. I'm actually much busier than I thought I would be three months ago, to be honest,' he explains.
'People in Bahrain said to me, "oh good to see you back," and I said, "actually, I was never away." In the role I'm in now, I'm taking the time to learn things I didn't have time to learn about before, because I was focused on going racing. Now I can see a little bit left, right and center - my vision has got wider.'
Despite leaving Haas in 2023, Steiner was back in the paddock in Bahrain for the 2024 opener
The Italian revealed to Mail Sport that he has already sat down for Drive to Survive interviews
Currently, Steiner's vision is focused on next month and the third edition of the Miami Grand Prix. After a difficult first year and a much-improved second, the F1 roadshow will roll into South Florida once again.
It hasn't been easy, but Steiner explains that the F1 community is now coming around to the glitz and glamor that accompanies the racing at one of the most high-profile venues on the calendar.
'In F1, people don't like change, they don't want new things,' he says. 'They're skeptical, and you have to prove yourself... Miami has done that. They proved that it's a different approach.
'It's not only about the car race, it's about the entertainment factor. It's the perfect place. Miami is a party town, food, fashion, it's got everything. It was doubted, it was a new concept, having a race behind the stadium.
'The first year is always difficult, because you have to learn so much. But all the things which were not right were fixed for the second year and they keep on doing it. Miami GP is now just part of F1,
