Guenther Steiner will be returning to the Formula 1 paddock as an analyst for the German TV channel RTL.
Former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner is set to make a return to the Formula 1 paddock in 2024 after the German network hired him for a punditry role this season.
Steiner has committed to serve as a pundit at seven race weekends for RTL this season after having decided not to extend his contract after nearly ten years at the helm of the team.
The change in leadership happened following Haas’s dismal 2023 campaign, in which it finished last in the constructors’ championship with just 12 points. Ayao Komatsu, who assumes the top position for the first time in his Formula One career, succeeds Steiner as Haas team principal after serving as the team’s director of engineering.
Meanwhile, Steiner’s on-camera outbursts have earned him a global fan favorite in recent years, and he has been widely acknowledged as one of the primary “characters” in the wildly successful docuseries Drive to Survive.
Steiner will make his channel debut at the Bahrain Grand Prix, which takes place this coming weekend. RTL has stated that he will make further appearances at other races during the season. Besides that, Steiner will have another role in addition to his current role at RTL; he will be a pundit for Australian television during the Australian Grand Prix.
RTL cameras are back in the Formula One paddock, after they were last seen in 2022. The channel will broadcast seven races and twelve qualifying sessions on free-to-air television.
Program director at RTL and RTL+, Inga Leschek, described Steiner as a real character who is extremely popular with many Formula 1 fans and expressed excitement at having the former head of the Haas team join their punditry lineup.
“With Guenther Steiner, we have succeeded in getting a long-standing manager and Formula 1 insider directly from the paddock in front of the RTL microphones, who will enrich our live broadcasts with up-to-date insights and plain language,” Leschek said.
Steiner himself added: “Formula 1 is competition at the highest level, on the racetrack and in the paddock.
“How are the drivers’ performances to be assessed and what does that mean for the organisations behind them? I’m looking forward to examining these processes with this strong on-air team and sharing my analysis of the racing action.”
RTL’s announcement comes after Sky Sports revealed their lineup of presenters for the upcoming season. As the calendar gets extended to a record 24 rounds, veteran lead commentator David Croft will miss three races.
