My fear is that if I watch the show, I won’t like certain aspects of how I behave and will try and change how I do things,” he writes. “I know I’m not everyone’s cup of tea but I’m actually OK with who I am. If you don’t like it, tough s—.” If you’re reading this, you’ve probably watched Drive to Survive on Netflix and found Günther Steiner somewhat amusing. Similarly straightforward are the pleasures in Drive to Survive, Netflix’s wildly popular docuseries that doubles as an incredibly effective marketing vehicle for the sport. The series has been openly credited for driving a surge of new interest in Formula One, and much of its power lies in the sheer quality of its simple storytelling. Here’s a show that’s adept at taking the tangled mess of each racing season, identifying the salient narrative threads, and executing those stories to perfection. (Often to the detriment of historical fidelity, but let’s not dwell on that.) The beats of each Drive to Survive episode should feel familiar even to those who don’t know what a Valtteri Bottas is, as they’re more or less grounded in classic sports-narrative archetypes: grizzled vet gets paired with young hotshot; guy faces one last chance; a former prodigy facing the prospect of not realizing his potential; the two top contenders pushed to the very brink; so on and so forth.

Ever since the show debuted in 2019, Steiner has always been clear that while he embraces its positive impact on F1, he doesn’t understand his own popularity. One cannot deny that Steiner is unapologetically himself in this book. He writes what he thinks, as controversial as things may be. And he uses the typical Steiner tone - he used the word "fok" 280 times! It laid the foundation for a friendly, honest friendship that played a big role in shaping Steiner professionally and as a person. “Having the support of somebody like Niki Lauda made you feel like you could do anything,” Steiner writes. “He was inspirational.” Episode 5 is the point at which the great driver merry-go-round of 2022 is set in motion, with Sebastian Vettel’s retirement sparking the chain of events that would lead Fernando Alonso to Aston Martin and Oscar Piastri to McLaren.After Hamilton admitted that he “nearly just pulled in” during a very uncomfortable ride in Baku, Wolff warns his fellow team bosses are “playing a dangerous game” and that he will “come after” them if a car ends up in the wall.

In Surviving to Drive, the Haas team principal takes readers inside his Formula 1 team for the entirety of the 2022 season, giving an unobstructed view of what really takes place behind the scenes. Through this unique lens, Guenther takes us on the thrilling rollercoaster of life at the heart of high stakes motor racing.

Retailers:

Haas is het nieuwste F1 team en met hun kleinere budget worden ze vaak gezien als de underdog. Maar wie houdt er nou niet van een underdog? Na Surviving to drive ga je nog meer rooten voor het team van Haas – ik vond het al leuk als ze een goede race reden, maar nu helemaal. Vooral de passage waarin Steiner vertelt over de eerste pole van het team – door Kevin Magnussen in Brazilië. Ondanks dat het ook een deel geluk was, is het ook vele jaren van hard werk geweest. Dit begrijp je beter na het lezen van Steiners visie, en ik kreeg nogmaals zin om te juichen voor deze prestatie. Uncompromising and searingly honest, told in Steiner's inimitable style, this is a fascinating and hugely entertaining account of the realities of running a Formula 1 team.