Formula 1 remains motorsport's pinnacle - Steiner

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Haas F1 team principal Guenther Steiner says that Formula 1 remains the pinnacle of motorsport, despite a recent surge in support for Formula E.

The all-electric championship has had a big boost in recent weeks, with Mercedes opting to drop out of DTM to join Formula E in 2019.

Porsche has also confirmed a switch to FE from the LMP1 class of the World Endurance Championship. And manufacturers including Renault and Jaguar are already part of the series.

But Steiner says that Formula 1 remains the place to be for anyone interested in the top flight of global motorsport.

"I still see F1 in a very good place," he told Motorsport.com. "It is the pinnacle of motorsport.

"FE is trending at the moment," he admitted. "Everyone wants to be part of this electric movement, which is fully understandable.

"But when there are seven or eight manufacturers involved, not all can win," he cautioned.

"There will also immediately be a war over who can do more, who wants authority and all those sort of things.

"I see it as an additional series, but I don't see it as a threat," Steiner asserted. "If it was a threat, we would just put electric motors in [F1 cars]

"Whatever happens, it will be Formula 1," he insisted. He dismissed suggestions that Formula E was now a better fit for manufacturers who are eyeing the future of road cars.

"I can understand the interest because it is so trendy now, you need to be part of it, it is a wave."

Carey untroubled by manufacturer focus on Formula E

Another part of the appeal of Formula E is its low cost compared with the expense of being competitive in Formula 1.

"It is inexpensive, relatively inexpensive, compared to F1, so it is a pretty easy decision," Steiner agreed. "Mercedes will spend a lot less in FE than they do in DTM. And the same goes for Porsche going out of WEC.

"[But] at the moment they are not attracting a lot of spectators, so I don't know how they can create revenue.

"It is difficult enough for Formula 1 to create revenue," he pointed out. "And this is a sport that has been here a long time. All the best drivers are here."

New Formula 1 CEO Chase Carey also downplayed the rise of Formula E this week.

"The events of this week didn’t change my view on Formula E one iota," he said. "For the mainstream auto industry, there’s clearly a direction towards electrical engines.

"I’m not sure those things connect yet to make it a sport," he argued. "There’s an appeal to identifying with the environmental issue but I think they’re very different propositions."

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.