Günther Steiner: “My wife said: ‘You’re an idiot!’”

The MotoGP World Championship continues this coming weekend with the Grand Prix at MotorLand Aragón. The battle for the world title is more thrilling than ever before, and the spectacle both on and off the track is impressive. It is precisely this combination that also fascinates Günther Steiner. The South Tyrolean has taken over the Red Bull Tech3-KTM team together with a group of investors, some of whom are well-known figures such as Formula 1 driver Pierre Gasly.

The 61-year-old made his name in Formula 1 primarily as team principal of Haas; prior to that, he worked for Red Bull and Jaguar Racing, amongst others. In July, Steiner was also in attendance at the MotoGP round at the Sachsenring, where he was a much sought-after interviewee.

How Steiner’s MotoGP dream became a reality

On the British podcast ‘High Performance’, Steiner has now spoken about how the idea of entering MotoGP first came about. The decisive impetus came during his visit to the US Grand Prix in Austin in 2024. “I’ve always enjoyed watching the MotoGP World Championship, but never had the time to attend a race,” recalled Steiner.

On the flight home, the idea of having his own team began to take shape. “I was sitting on the plane on my way home from Austin and thought it would be cool to have a team like that. It’s a sport that’s growing and has potential. Then I spoke to people about a licence. But I was told there isn’t a licence – I’d have to buy a team.”

It was then clear to Steiner that he would need financial backing. “I thought to myself: OK, if I have to buy a team, then I’ll need investors. So I met up with a few people. It’s all about having an idea – then I paint a picture of what it should look like. And once the picture’s ready, it’s a matter of making it happen.”

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Little enthusiasm within the family

Not everyone in Steiner’s circle was immediately enthusiastic about his new project. His wife’s reaction was particularly stark. “My wife said to me: ‘You’re an idiot!’ That was her blunt reaction,” the South Tyrolean recounted with a laugh.

There was a simple reason for her scepticism. “She said: ‘Why are you doing this? You’ve worked so hard over the past few years.’ And she still says: ‘Why are you doing all this?’ But I just have to do something. I can’t just sit still – it’s really hard for me! I just want to do it, even though I don’t have to.”

In the meantime, the idea has become a reality – and Steiner has plenty of tasks ahead of him at Tech3. First of all, it needs to be clarified whether regular rider Maverick Viñales will be able to compete again at MotorLand Aragón or whether test rider Pol Espargaró will have to step in once more.

The rider line-up for the 2027 MotoGP season is also likely to become a topic of discussion soon. The Australian Senna Agius and Valentino Rossi’s half-brother Luca Marini are considered promising candidates.