"I would have f**ked the whole paddock": When Guenther Steiner's misunderstood quote led to a hilarious clarification
Former F1 Haas team principal, Guenther Steiner, was once hilariously misheard swearing on Netflix's Drive to Survive series. Afterwards, the Italian clarified what he meant which turned out to be a hilarious moment.
Steiner was one of the most interesting people in the paddock, particularly famous for his straightforward persona and colorful language. His popularity sky-rocketed when he was featured in the Drive to Survive series, where he often used his colorful language.
When Drive to Survive's new season was released in 2023, it showcased all the best moments from the 2022 season. During that time, Haas's official YouTube channel posted a clip of Steiner being misheard.
In an interview with Chris Medland, Steiner said he was happy with the performance of the car which allowed the team to score a few points. He said that for a few championship points, he would have hugged the whole paddock. However, the interviewer interpreted the word as "f**ked" instead of "hugged".
"What I'm really happy about is the performance of the car. Now that we know the car is good, Kevin and Mick will have good results, both of them. You cannot be too greedy you know. I mean, last year, for two points, I would have f**ked the whole paddock. So hopefully, we can get some more," Steiner said.
"I'm sure America doesn't mind but I'll apologize for the languange," Medland replied.
Steiner was visibly confused after the official interview ended and asked his assistant whether he dropped an f-bomb. Later, when Medland asked for the word, the then-Haas team boss clarified.
"What did you say you would do to the whole paddock?" Medland asked.
"Hugged them!" Steiner exclaimed.
Guenther Steiner sides with Max Verstappen in the swearing debate in F1
Guenther Steiner sided with Max Verstappen after the Dutchman was penalized for swearing in a press conference while explaining the conditions of his RB20 car during the Singapore GP. This was amid FIA president, Mohammed Ben Sulayem's comments on curbing swearing as a whole in F1.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Steiner took a neutral ground on whether the Red Bull driver swearing about his car was right or wrong. Furthermore, he said that there was no need to discuss it further since it attracted more attention.
Later, Steiner explained how adrenaline can run high in drivers when they race at eye-watering speeds and it is okay to express raw emotions.
"Max swore at the situation [in Baku]. He made a comment about his car. Is it right? No. Is it wrong? No. He used the terminology which he decided to use, it's fine. But the more you bring it up, the more controversy you create, the more people speak about it," Steiner said.
"It's difficult for a race-car driver. When you're sitting in a car and you are going 350-360kph and some other guy cuts you off and you say something in the emotion… you don't really mean that [what you have said]. Then the TV beeps it out anyway. It is emotion. We are emotional people," he added.
After Verstappen swore about his car, the FIA penalized him and asked him to do community work to make up for it.