Gunther Steiner is never one to shy away from the spotlight or sharing his opinions. Now, with his move into MotoGP, after acquiring the Red Bull KTM Tech3 MotoGP team, it should come as no surprise that he has plenty of opinions about the pinnacle of two-wheeled racing. But, for a person that many racing fans regard as a controversial figure, his thoughts about MotoGP will probably have fans nodding in approval, at least, for the most part
In a recent interview with the betting company Lottoland, he revealed that he's had a lifelong passion for two-wheel racing, what he thinks makes the sport so unique, and how he plans to bring his 40 years of motorsport experience to the grid. Although it's worth noting that the former Red Bull KTM Tech3 Team Principal, Hervé Poncharal, will continue to be a part of the team as a consultant.
In the interview, Steiner said, “It’s one of the sports I’ve always liked because it’s just so exciting. The racing is incredibly close, and the talent of the riders really shines through. In MotoGP, it’s much more down to the rider than the driver in Formula One. They fight man to man on the bike — it’s pretty cool to watch when they’re so close together.”
As MotoGP fans, it's nice to hear when anyone, Steiner or otherwise, respects the importance that the riders play in the sport and, moreover, sees it as something that's more unique to MotoGP over Formula 1. Riders on lesser machinery can bring the 'hero' element to MotoGP, and he expanded on this aspect during the interview.
Steiner continued, saying, “In MotoGP, an independent team can win a championship. Last year’s world champion wasn’t a works Ducati — it was a privately-run Ducati. That shows how open and competitive it is. If you do a good job, you can win.”
The appreciation is great, but I think the topic that worries most die-hard MotoGP fans is when Steiner starts talking about bringing more eyeballs to the sport. Now, we should all be able to agree, as fans, that growing the sport is a good thing. The more people who like MotoGP, the better. No gatekeeping, just two-wheeled racing love for all.
“The sport is amazing, the action is there — but I think it deserves an even bigger audience. One of the opportunities I see is to bring this incredible, high-adrenaline racing to more people.”
The problem at the forefront of most fans' minds is not that we grow the sport, but how we grow the sport without diminishing the racing and turning it into an out-and-out entertainment show, which Drive to Survive has been criticized for, and which Steiner was a huge part of. Now, with the Liberty Media takeover of Dorna and Steiner in the MotoGP paddock, it's not a huge stretch to imagine how a Ride to Survive series could shape up.
And Steiner hasn't shied away from expressing that he intends to use his experience to bring changes to the sport. In his interview, he said, “I can bring almost 40 years of motorsport experience. But first, I need to understand what MotoGP can use from me. I’ll spend the first six months learning before saying what needs to change — because the people in MotoGP have done this for a long time, and I have a lot of respect for that.”
What do you make of Steiner's comments? Do you think his presence in MotoGP will be a good or bad thing, or sit somewhere in between? Apparently, we'll all find out in six months.
