Guenther Steiner reckons F1’s Saturday free practice session is boring

Guenther Steiner has a new book out called Surviving to Drive – which is apt given his cult hero status gained from Netflix’s Drive to Survive. The book charts the story of the Haas team during the 2022 Formula 1 season, so in true TG style, we decided to ask him about the 2023 campaign and beyond.

TG: So, Guenther, is the 2023 Championship over?

GS: No, it's not over. I think in the moment Red Bull are very strong. I mean, it's obvious, you know, everybody sees that, but I don't think there's a reason why some of the other teams can’t catch up.

For me to say it's over is wrong because it's never over until it's done. A lot of things can happen between now and the end of the season. 

TG: What are your thoughts on the rumoured changes to the sprint races coming later this year?

GS: I personally would like to see the sprint qualifying like they are planning to do for Baku. It’s not been rubber stamped but in the beginning I was one of the first ones to come up with it because I think the fans want to see more competition. On Saturday morning when we have the free practice it’s boring for me, so I can imagine how boring it is for the fans.

You cannot change the car, so you’re just out there making laps, you know? I think putting a qualifying session in for the sprint race will be pretty cool. 

TG: More rumours. What do you think about new teams joining F1?

GS: I mean an 11th team joining first of all is not up to me to decide and it’s not up to the teams to decide. It’s down to the FIA at the end of the day. But my opinion is that if you cannot see an upside for everybody, why would you do it? Because then it's a downside. If they're not adding to the party it’s not worth it. 

I mean, there's now 10 very strong teams in Formula One. There is no weak team anymore. There's no backmarker. Everybody's financially stable, so we don't really need one. If somebody comes and gives us an upside, all of us, I think we would welcome them. But if it is just to have more teams for the sake of it, I think why would I vote for it to get less in return in the future? 

I don't want to speak for the other teams, but I would say their opinion is very similar. We are all in the same boat when it comes to the business side of F1. 

TG: You’re well into the season with two experienced drivers. Is that an approach you’ll stick with having been burned with rookies?

GS: For the time being, yes we will continue with experience. Absolutely, because what we did seems to be working out so why would I change it? You should never say never because if a rookie comes along and you can see that he’s really good and the team is getting more mature then we can risk it again, but at the moment the biggest thing that we need to do is mature the team because we are still the youngest team on the grid.

Having drivers like Nico (Hülkenberg) and Kevin (Magnussen) now takes the team forward in a positive way. You know, we are learning quicker, and we still need to learn. There’s been a big step on this season. You can see what Nico has brought which is his experience from running in the midfield for a long time and you know, he just brings in that confidence to the team. When he says something we know which direction to take because he has done it before. It’s called experience.