Blog
Sebastian Steibel, from his family racing team Steibel Motorsport, drove an older generation Cupra TCR again. Although his chances for podium finishes were slimmer than before, he enjoyed another season, which, as he said, wouldn’t have been possible to do without the support of the ESET RaceStar project.
It looked like you wouldn’t score podium in 2022, but in the final race of the season, you made it and finished third. How did you feel?
Well, it was very hard to be competitive with my old car for the whole season. So I was really happy about the podium finish in the last race. I have to say that the whole weekend went very well. It started with a great qualifying and ended with a podium.
Let’s talk about your season. You finished fifth in the driver standings, the same position as in the previous year. Are you satisfied with your season? What can you tell us about 2022?
Overall, I’m happy with my season. I had opportunities to attain good results and, in addition, the season was also very nice, as I continued to develop friendships with other drivers and teams!
You started from pole position at Poznań, but you had a bad start and lost the chance for a podium finish at the very least. Is it your worst memory from the season?
Yes… it’s the worst memory from the season. Other than that, my season was quite uneventful, apart from one or two bumps with opponents.
You have an older generation Cupra. How hard is it to compete against newer cars, even with weight balance?
Depending on the race track and my performance, it was from time to time either good or bad. Although, it’s a pity that the BOP has not changed in my car throughout the year. But I had to live with it.
You are from Germany and you could have competed in TCR Germany. What made you stay in TCR Eastern Europe?
The answer is very simple: ESET RaceStar. Without this project, it wouldn’t have been possible for me to do this sport, so I’m very, very grateful for the support.
So what does this kind of support mean for your career?
For sure, the ESET RaceStar Project has helped me to develop my career further because I was able to fight and race in a more relaxed mood and, above all, with good materials, thanks to this support. As I said before, motorsport at this level wouldn’t be possible for me without this project.
And what about the following season? Any plans?
Of course I want to race again in TCR Eastern Europe. At the moment, I have to check how I can make this possible.
