Guenther Steiner calms MotoGP fans fears over Liberty: ‘It won’t copy/paste from F1’

Guenther Steiner, who will become CEO of Tech3, doesn’t believe Liberty Media will “copy/paste” from Formula 1 as new owner of MotoGP.

The ex-Haas F1 team boss was announced last week as leading a consortium in a €20 million takeover of Herve Poncharal’s Tech3 squad.

Steiner will become CEO of the outfit, while Richard Coleman will take over as team principal from next year as Poncharal moves into a consultancy role.

This takeover comes just a few months after Liberty Media’s €4.2 billion purchase of MotoGP was given EU approval, and is seen as the first major influence of the company that also owns F1.

Having been team boss at Haas when Liberty took over ownership of F1, Steiner has see how the US media company grew the championship - with the Italian a focal point in hit behind-the-scenes documentary Drive to Survive.

Asked during the Catalan Grand Prix when he thinks Liberty should copy from F1 to implement in MotoGP, and what it should avoid, he said: “What we should not adapt from Formula 1, I will not go into specifics because every spot has got its own story to tell or its own way to go.

“And I don’t think, because a lot of people are now maybe thinking that because Liberty took over it will copy/paste Formula 1: I don’t think they will do that, because Dorna is still running this place and they know what is important to MotoGP.

“They don’t need to go and copy someone else because they can write their own story.

“There are enough ingredients here to make your own story and enough people here to make your own story.

“You don’t have to go out there and says ‘let’s do it how they do there’. You always have to look at what other sports are doing, but not only Formula 1.

“There are other sports you can learn from. I learned a lot from entertainment in sport in America from the stick and ball sports, how to bring the fans closer.

“You have to look at everywhere. But it’s not like you can go ‘let’s take this from Formula 1 and do it here’ because there’s no need for that.

“MotoGP can do its own thing and be very successful. It is already successful.”

Steiner reveals “biggest surprise” of joining MotoGP paddock

Steiner says the most surprising thing he has found since engaging in the takeover deal with Tech3 has been how welcoming the MotoGP paddock has been, especially compared to F1.

“The biggest surprise was we were welcomed here,” he added.

“In Formula 1, obviously Formula 1 is more pressure. There is pressure here as well, but it’s more the sporting pressure.

“In Formula 1 there are a lot of politics.

“And how we were welcomed [in MotoGP] I was surprised because I’m an outsider and I was welcomed here, which is very strange because I’m not welcomed everywhere.”