Carl Hilliard, a newcomer to the GRANDPRIX247 team, read Guenther Steiner’s Surviving to Drive book of the 2022 Formula 1 season, the Haas F1 boss a Netflix sensation since Drive to Survive provided fans with a deeper look into the world of the sport we follow.
So we challenged Carl with a review of the book, and he obliged:
“There is nobody in Formula 1 right now, who I would rather see write a book other than Guenther Steiner himself”, this I told myself many months ago, and as soon as I spoke those words, the F1 gods willed it into existence.
The announcement came that Guenther will be writing his own book. To put it in his words – JEEZOZ CHRIST. Guenther Steiner’s life at Haas F1 Team has been nothing but drama, filled with the highest of highs, and by god, the lowest of lows.
If you, like most of us out there, have watched Netflix’s Drive To Survive, you’ll be itching for more Guenther. Well, the soon-to-be Academy Award winner is here to take you on a rollercoaster through his 2022 season at Haas. Guenther is here to answer all of the questions.
With a play on the Netflix title, Steiner has opted to call his book ‘Surviving To Drive’ (A Year Inside Formula 1). I’ve read it, and I’m here to tell you if it’s worth your time.
The answer is an astounding YES. Surviving To Drive is a breath of fresh air within Formula 1, as this book at times does not take itself seriously at all. Besides, it’s President Guenther writing it for God’s sake. Steiner kicks this book off with a swear word, almost instantly, as he states: “Thank fok this season is over! It’s been a nightmare from start to finish. I don’t drink very much but this year I’ve been tempted to take it up professionally. Whisky on a foking drip!”
This opening is perfect
We are immediately told that by no means is Steiner a writer or novelist, but by god can he write some entertaining and hilarious stuff. It’s almost as if the publishers gave Steiner a pen and paper, and told him to just write a diary. Make no mistake, this book is by no means a biography or a novel in any way, the book is a straight-up diary, as dates and times head every paragraph, letting you know where Guenther is writing from.
Sometimes he’s in Castello Steiner in Northern Italy, and a day later, he’s writing from Yas Marina, Abu Dhabi. Guenther showcases just how hard F1 can be, with constant travel, minimum family time, and a whole level of stress.
There isn’t another man or woman in Formula 1 that knows stress as Steiner does. This man has been through all sorts of stuff, from his rally days in the 80s and 90s all the way up to his founding of Haas F1 Team in 2016.
Steiner takes us on a spin through the highs and lows of the recent seasons in F1, highlighting incidents and relationships with drivers such as Kevin Magnussen, Romain Grosjean, Nikita Mazepin, and Mick Schumacher. There are some seriously strange and bizarre stories in this book, as you’d expect from a Guenther book.
This book is not only essential for any F1 fan, but I can thoroughly recommend it to any petrolhead in general, as it’s a solid insight into the motorsport world and F1 in particular. As I said, Steiner is by no means a certified writer, and this is no biography, but damn if I didn’t have a really good time reading this.
Guenther is a living legend, and I think everyone deserves to read this masterclass. Long live King Guenther.