He’s the reserve driver for both Mercedes and McLaren, which means he spends a significant amount of time in simulators and occasionally gets test runs in their cars. He’s also done Pirelli tire testing and even had a shootout for Alpine. All done in more recent F1 cars than his Haas days.
No crashes, no complaints—just praise from several team principals. Steiner crafted a particular narrative around him, but without that, he’d likely be seen in the same light as Drugovich or any other experienced reserve driver familiar with Merc engines.
He’s the reserve driver for both Mercedes and McLaren, which means he spends a significant amount of time in simulators and occasionally gets test runs in their cars. He’s also done Pirelli tire testing and even had a shootout for Alpine. All done in more recent F1 cars than his Haas days.
No crashes, no complaints—just praise from several team principals. Steiner crafted a particular narrative around him, but without that, he’d likely be seen in the same light as Drugovich or any other experienced reserve driver familiar with Merc engines.