After serving as the charismatic team principal for Haas since 2016, Guenther Steiner was given the axe by owner, Gene Haas earlier this week. Steiner had been with the American outfit since its inception in the sport, but what many people don’t know is that he was instrumental in getting the team into Formula 1 in the first place.
Steiner had a vision. He was apparently very intrigued with the idea of having an American team on the F1 grid. Scuttling through his connections, the Italian engineer got hold of Stefano Domenicali, who was heading Ferrari’s F1 operations at the time. Steiner then went on to pitch a collaboration with the Prancing Horse.
Just finished Gunther Steiner’s book “Surviving to Drive”. Great diary of a season from a team principals perspective…Although hearing rumours he has now been fired??? pic.twitter.com/CYVb4bXKlt
— Paul Roberts (@thepaulroberts) January 10, 2024
In his book, Surviving to Drive, Guenther Steiner revealed a conversation he had with Domenicali, 13 years ago, that set the wheels of Haas’ entry into F1 in motion. Steiner proposed bringing in an investor to lure Ferrari into making a ‘customer team‘ out of them. To this Domenicali promised,
“You bring me the right people, and I will sell you the car.”
And so began Haas’ journey in F1. They debuted in 2016 and have been one of the most loved teams in the sport. Their day in the sun came during the 2018 F1 season when they achieved a P5 finish in the constructors’ championship. However, Steiner and Haas’ association has now come to an end, ahead of the 2024 season.
Haas embarks on new era leaving Guenther Steiner behind
It is being reported that Steiner was let go by Gene Haas owing to disagreements about the future of the team. The latter stated that he is tired of finishing 10th in the standings, like Haas often has over the last few years. Nonetheless, Steiner’s reign with the American team will always be etched into their history.
Steiner was instrumental in keeping the team afloat, too. It was Guenther who brought in Mick Schumacher and the millions of dollars from German sponsorship when they were in financial doldrums back in 2020. Further, his reach and fame is another reason why the team did well in terms of social media engagement.
I still want a yearly Guenther episode on drive to survive
— Matt Gallagher (@MattP1Gallagher) January 10, 2024
Fans and F1 media personalities, alike, came onto X (formerly Twitter) to express their dismay at the news. In particular, fans will miss his presence in ‘Drive to Survive’, Netflix’s show that made him a household name in the F1 community in the first place. Famed F1 YouTuber and presenter, Matt Gallagher even tweeted,
“I still want a yearly Guenther episode on drive to survive.”
Netflix would feel the brunt of Steiner’s departure the most as he was the single biggest attractor for fans of the critically acclaimed docuseries.
