Christian Horner playfully pokes fun at Guenther Steiner: 'He has yet to secure an F1 podium finish'

Nevertheless, this didn't hinder Steiner from becoming widely popular through Drive to Survive, where he quickly captured fans' attention with his candid demeanor and frequent use of colorful language.

This even prompted the Italian to publish a book titled ‘Surviving to Drive’, emphasizing how he significantly benefited from the series and arguably became more recognized for that than his actual role.

Former Red Bull chief Horner, who boasts a total of 14 F1 championships, shared with Autosport: “These individuals are creating a television show, so they gather countless hours of footage, and it's all about how you choose to edit it.”

Christian Horner speaks to Autosport

“You can portray someone as either the villain or the hero, or vice versa. That show has been remarkably successful because it unveiled some of the rivalries, the personalities, and the character of the drivers.”

“Guenther Steiner has built a career off of it…I mean, I don't believe he ever reached a podium in Formula 1!”

“But good for him. He is a character, quite an intimidating one when he worked with us, but yes, it has introduced a whole new fan base to the sport, which has been fantastic.”

Steiner began his career as a mechanic in the World Rally Championship before transitioning to F1 in 2001 as managing director of Jaguar, departing at the end of 2002.

Now 61, he moved to Red Bull - which succeeded Jaguar - for its debut season in 2005 as technical operations director, a role he held for just one year.

That was because the legendary designer Adrian Newey joined the team, prompting Steiner to shift to Red Bull’s NASCAR division, where he remained until 2008 as technical director.

Horner and Steiner in 2005

“When I arrived at Red Bull, they told me we’ve hired this guy recommended by Niki Lauda, who used to be at Jaguar, named Guenther Steiner,” Horner added.

“I had never heard of him, and when I researched him online, he seemed quite intimidating, that was my initial impression, and then Guenther showed up.”

“He was responsible for the RB2, the Ferrari-powered car that malfunctioned in just three degrees at Silverstone during a shakedown.”

“Adrian Newey arrived shortly after and said ‘well, we’ll forget about that car’.”

“Then Guenther moved within the Red Bull organization to work on the NASCAR project that was just starting, marking his transition into the American scene.”

Steiner is now the CEO of MotoGP team Tech3, the only KTM satellite team on the grid and currently sitting eighth in the 2026 standings with 139 points.