F1 News: Guenther Steiner Sings Drive To Survive Praises - "It Helps The Team A Lot"
Haas team principal Guenther Steiner has spoken about the benefits of appearing on Netflix's 'Drive To Survive' to the team, saying that more sponsors look at them now.
Steiner very quickly became a fan favourite on the show, especially the first season when Ferrari and Mercedes did not get involved. Steiner has featured in some of the funniest moments from the show, such as his candid phone calls to team owner Gene Haas and showing his determination to make the team work by getting the sponsors, which led to one of the best memes the internet has seen - the Steiner boat.
The Italian team principal was not well-known before the release of the show and he has discussed in an interview with The Mirror the benefits of featuring on it. He explained:
''I did my job, people liked what I do. Liberty Media and Netflix got the best out of it and all of a sudden a lot of people know you! But it's not something that I planned years ago, thinking 'I need to be this, that and the other'. It just happened, and sometimes it is quite a burden as well. Everybody watches you, a lot of people know you."
Steiner continued to explain that gaining popularity on the show got the team more interest from sponsors. He said:
''It helps the team a lot. Sponsors look at us because we have good exposure, which is nice because they get good exposure for it. There are no negatives, only that we have to do a little more work, but it would be a boring life otherwise."
Haas has recently signed a new title sponsor for the 2023 season, MoneyGram, which they have a multi-year deal with. Steiner said when the news was announced:
“MoneyGram is a global leader in fintech and payments and is always setting out to push the boundaries of technology.
“It’s that eagerness for innovation that really drew us to partner with MoneyGram, and we’re confident that we will continue to grow together and reach our full potential.”