Günther Steiner confides in Colin McRae: “For him, everything was natural”

The goatee-trimmed beard was already there when Günther Steiner accompanied Ford's effort in the World Rally Championship (WRC) in 1999. The Italian, current team manager of Haas en Formula 1, actually spent around fifteen years in the world of rallying before working in F1.

Between 2000 and 2001, Günther Steiner worked with Ford as head of the technical department. He spent two years collaborating with Carlos Sainz and Colin McRae at the wheel of the Focus WRC.

Two legends and a snack. © DPPI

“Colin was the man for the job at the time and I haven't seen anyone with the pure talent that Colin had at the time, recalls Günther Steiner in the WRC podcast. For him, everything was natural, he didn't need to make any effort to drive a car quickly, it was just like that. Some people can talk a lot like me, but he can just drive fast. I think he was the most gifted pilot I've ever met.

He was pretty good (to give your opinion). If something didn't work, he was quick enough to tell you. He was quite direct. For Colin, everything was natural, it either worked or it didn't, and the rest was your problem. » Colin McRae finished fourth in 2000 then vice-champion the following year after a suspenseful final against Richard Burns (Subaru).

“Carlos (Sainz) went into detail and with Colin it was yes or no, there was nothing in between. If it wasn't, that was your problem. It was black or white. If you had a good test session it was very enjoyable to test with Colin, but if it went badly it was the least enjoyable test you could do because he was upset and he thought he was wasting his time. »

Behind the legends can hide difficult characters.

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