Miami GP ambassador Guenther Steiner reveals he WILL be back on Drive to Survive, opens up on his potential F1 return - and explains why Mercedes and Toto Wolff hold all the cards ahead of 2025 shake-up

To Formula One fans of the so-called 'Drive to Survive era', there is one man who stands alone as the face of the sport.

It's not seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, or rising star Lando Norris with his legions of social media supporters. It's not even Max Verstappen, the Red Bull icon who doesn't go more than a fortnight without winning a race.

Instead, it is Guenther Steiner - the former team principal of the Haas F1 team - whose sweary, infectious personality turned him into the surprise star of the mega-popular Netflix docuseries.

Therefore, when news emerged of his departure from the sport at the end of the 2023 season, it immediately led to speculation over his future on the show. Did no more Guenther in the paddock mean no more Guenther on our TV screens?

Speaking exclusively to Mail Sport from Miami this week, the 58-year-old Italian was able to clear a few things up - and the news will delight his hordes of supporters. 

Guenther Steiner spoke exclusively to Mail Sport about his future, and Drive to Survive

The former Haas F1 boss has become a rockstar amid the success of the Netfix docuseries

When asked if he is planning to sit down in front of the Netflix cameras for the next season, Steiner said: 'I did already! I don't know if they'll use it, I can't promise that one, but I put my effort into it.

'So yeah, you might still have to see me!'

In truth, his shock exit from the paddock at the end of 2023 hasn't meant we've seen less of him anyway. In the months since he cleared out his locker at Haas, he's taken on a regular column for the F1 website, and enjoyed punditry roles with RTL in Germany and Network 10 in Australia.

Next month, he will be at the forefront of the Miami Grand Prix in his new ambassador role, and his post-F1 life has become almost as busy as his time inside the paddock.

'I tried to do little, and then all of a sudden I got busy again. I'm actually much busier than I thought I would be three months ago, to be honest,' he explains.

'People in Bahrain said to me, "oh good to see you back," and I said, "actually, I was never away." In the role I'm in now, I'm taking the time to learn things I didn't have time to learn about before, because I was focused on going racing. Now I can see a little bit left, right and center - my vision has got wider.'

Despite leaving Haas in 2023, Steiner was back in the paddock in Bahrain for the 2024 opener

The Italian revealed to Mail Sport that he has already sat down for Drive to Survive interviews

Currently, Steiner's vision is focused on next month and the third edition of the Miami Grand Prix. After a difficult first year and a much-improved second, the F1 roadshow will roll into South Florida once again.

It hasn't been easy, but Steiner explains that the F1 community is now coming around to the glitz and glamor that accompanies the racing at one of the most high-profile venues on the calendar.

'In F1, people don't like change, they don't want new things,' he says. 'They're skeptical, and you have to prove yourself... Miami has done that. They proved that it's a different approach. 

'It's not only about the car race, it's about the entertainment factor. It's the perfect place. Miami is a party town, food, fashion, it's got everything. It was doubted, it was a new concept, having a race behind the stadium. 

'The first year is always difficult, because you have to learn so much. But all the things which were not right were fixed for the second year and they keep on doing it. Miami GP is now just part of F1, nobody doubts it anymore - we're going to Miami. It seems like it has been here for 10 years.'

Miami's star-studded event sees drivers race around the Dolphins' Hard Rock Stadium

Vin Diesel waves to the crowds on the grid ahead of the 2023 Grand Prix in South Florida

While much of Miami's excitement surrounds the off-track experience, this year is set to provide a thriller on race day too, with Max Verstappen just four points ahead of Charles Leclerc in the driver standings.

This time last year, Red Bull's nearest challenger was Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso, already 44 points back, with Leclerc down in 7th and 85 points off the pace.

Steiner's old team Haas are in good shape, too, sitting seventh in the standings having leapfrogged Williams, Sauber and Alpine at the start of 2024.

For the former team boss, there appears no ill-will, or frustration at being on the outside looking in.

Instead, he beams when he speaks about his old friends, and seems genuinely delighted at the lofty heights they find themselves in without him.  

'I'm very happy for the team that they've scored points in the last races,' he says. 'The performance and development of the car was clearly there last year, but what we didn't know at the time was how good the opposition is, so you can never know where you'll end up. 

Ayao Komatsu has taken Steiner's place as team principal of Haas, and they're up to seventh

Kevin Magnussen steers his way through Suzuka at the Japanese Grand Prix on Friday

'Last year, when we realized we were in a difficult position with the concept of the car and we changed concept, everybody worked very hard. Simone Resta, who left the team as well at the end of the year, he did a good job to push everyone to their limits, because it's a very limited team compared to the big ones. 

'But I'm not surprised where they are and I'm actually very happy for the team that they scored points. A lot of people are there from day one and I know them very well and I'm still friends with them. 

'I'm happy for them, and hopefully they got a big bonus.'

On the subject of cash, the coming months are set to be vital in determining the 2025 grid, with at least 13 of the 20 drivers out of contract and fighting for their place in the sport.

While some, like Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso, are all-but-certain to find a landing spot, others - including both of Haas' drivers - have plenty to prove and could yet find themselves on the outside looking in.

As far as Steiner is concerned, there's one man holding all the cards ahead of the 2025 season, and the games will only begin when Mercedes chief Toto Wolff plays his hand.  

According to Steiner, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff holds all the cards ahead of the 2025 season

Carlos Sainz is the most likely man to take Lewis Hamilton's seat at Mercedes, Steiner believes

'I think Max is staying at Red Bull, that's my opinion,' he explains. 'I don't know what they do with the second driver, if Checo Perez stays or not I have no idea. Mercedes obviously need a second driver because Lewis is leaving at the end of the year.

'Toto [Wolff] will take his time to make a decision, because nobody will move until that seat is filled. He's got a lot of good options out there, so he's in no hurry to make the decision. I think in a Mercedes, Carlos Sainz will end up there. That's my biggest guess.

'Or Kimi Antonelli, the junior driver, but I think Toto wants to see what the guy can do in F2 before making the decision. But otherwise all the rest will just fall in place once that seat is filled.'

Inside the F1 garages, it's not only the drivers that will chop and change. Mechanics, other team personnel and - indeed - the team principals could also be on the move. So what of Steiner's own future? Could he be back in the paddock for 2025? 

'I don't say no. I could be [back],' Steiner reveals. 'It needs to be a project that I want to do, not just running a team and they say, "hey, this guy is gone, now Guenther is in". 

'It needs to be a project with a clear vision of what they want to achieve and see if the means are there to do it, and I'm very open to talking about it.'