“People want constant entertainment,” Guenther Steiner urged ‘classic races’ to up their game

Haas F1 team boss Guenther Steiner wants the classic races to become more entertaining.


“People want constant entertainment,” Guenther Steiner urged ‘classic races’ to up their game

Guenther Steiner (Via Haas on X)

With the Haas F1 team being based in the United States, Guenther Steiner has also shifted to the West in order to simplify operations. There he got to witness how the racing crowd was and what they liked. Turns out it was completely different from what traditional F1 fans wanted from the sport. The 2023 Miami GP has left fans in a dilemma after their over the top events to entertain the spectators.

When it comes to off track action, Miami has definitely raised the bar. With driver presentations coming into play, it has been pretty extravagant. Yuki Tsunoda being spotted doing Cristiano Ronaldo’s celebratory move is just one of the many few fun incidents taking place throughout the weekend. The US races seemed to have turned into proper carnivals for the casual racing enthusiasts and the hardcore fans too.

YouTube video

With a race in Las Vegas happening this year, the bar will be raised ten fold. Guenther Steiner has said that fans would expect even more from a
grand prix weekend than just racing action. Even if Max Verstappen or Charles Leclerc win the race, it won’t be quite as exciting as some of the events which take place to entertain fans throughout the weekend. With the Miami GP being a major event in the US, the expectations also become high.

FS Video

Related: Aston Martin urges F1 to ‘keep its DNA’ amidst radical Baku race weekend changes

Guenther Steiner wants classic races to adapt to the modern world

Guenther Steiner
Guenther Steiner

In an interview, here is what he had to say. “I think entertainment here got a lot better from the old days,” said Steiner. “In the old days, we went racing, cookie-cutter racing. We do one race, we do the next one, we do nothing around it. We went racing for the motorsport fan,” he said.
“The sport, before Liberty Media came in, was not successful in the US. I came to the US and I understood the US more when I moved here because I didn’t understand it before,” he continued.

“But you need to live here to understand. People want constant entertainment, not just sitting out there waiting three hours until the next time the cars go out. They want something to do, something to consume,” he stated. “The other stuff which is going on, you’ve got concerts, entertainment areas. If you’ve got kids with you, you want to entertain them, not sitting on a grandstand, or on a hill,” he continued.

While all this is said and done, Guenther Steiner reiterated that his intentions weren’t for F1 to forget about the racing.
As a matter of fact, the race itself would be the heart and soul of any race event. It would have to always remain the main focus of the weekend. That being said, Haas boys Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen will be looking to make their mark at the Monaco GP which will take place next weekend.

In case you missed it: