In September, Günther Steiner transitioned to MotoGP. The former Haas team boss took over the Red Bull KTM Tech3 MotoGP team as the leader of a consortium. He serves as the team’s CEO, while his business partner Richard Coleman steps in as the new team boss. According to Steiner, MotoGP is a ‘fantastic’ sport, where the riders have much more influence than in, for example, Formula 1.
In a conversation with Lottoland, Steiner delved deeper into his fondness for MotoGP. “It’s a sport I’ve always enjoyed, precisely because it’s so exciting,” he explained. “During the races, I’m literally on the edge of my seat – you see pure talent at work. In MotoGP, it’s much more about the riders than in Formula 1,” Steiner compared the two top classes. “Technologically speaking, the motorcycles are real beasts – the speeds they reach are barely comprehensible. I’ve always loved MotoGP, but never had the chance to get involved myself. Now that opportunity presented itself, and I thought: ‘Let’s just give it a try.'”
‘MotoGP Deserves a Larger Audience’
Steiner has great confidence in the potential at Red Bull KTM Tech3. “In MotoGP, an independent team can simply become champion,” he assured. “Last year’s world champion did not ride for a factory team from Ducati, but on a private Ducati. This shows how open and competitive this championship is. If you do good work, you can win.” According to Steiner, there is also an opportunity to further expand the audience. “The sport is already great, but I think it can appeal to a much larger audience. One of the opportunities I see is to bring these incredible races to even more people. Of course, it will take three to five years to build everything up and really gain a foothold,” he added. “I have enormous respect for MotoGP. There are amazing people here with years of experience – and experience is something you simply cannot buy.”
Finally, Steiner compared MotoGP legend Marc Márquez to four-time Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen. Both, according to him, are the absolute standouts of their generation. “Marc Márquez and Valentino Rossi, they are the very best for me,” he said. “Marc is the Max Verstappen of MotoGP – he just has that little extra. And Valentino, he was unique; a real character, someone who could do anything with a motorcycle.”
