Guenther Steiner may not have a lot to boast about in terms of results during his F1 tenure, but no one can deny how popular he was. A few months ago, there were rumors of him using his popularity to get shares worth $900,000,000 at Haas. Those never materialized, but according to Red Bull chief Helmut Marko, that is what got the Italian-American sacked.
Steiner‘s popularity soared after he became a star figure on Netflix’s Drive to Survive. Haas wasn’t getting the results on the track with him as team principal. Off it, on the other hand, the American team was very popular and Steiner was the reason behind it. The team had a big fan following because of him and had huge social media engagement.
Steiner’s name became synonymous with Haas. This is what led to his downfall as Marko revealed to F1 Insider. He said:
“I’ve only heard that he wanted to convert his popularity into shares in the team. And owner Gene Haas no longer liked that. It is also the case in our sport that the team always comes before the individual. Steiner became a victim of his popularity.”
Haas is a big name in American motorsports. The team’s owner Gene Haas has a team in NASCAR but hasn’t succeeded in F1 yet. Watching a team principal get more popular than his own surname, reportedly didn’t sit right with him. If Steiner was able to get his shares’ worth because of how famous he is, Haas could have dealt a huge blow to his reputation.
The fact that Steiner’s popularity led to his downfall seems to be something the majority of the F1 fanbase agrees with. Haas wasn’t getting the results, yes. The general consensus, however, is that Steiner wasn’t the right person to blame.
Gene Haas or Guenther Steiner, who is to blame for Haas’ failures?
Usually, when a team struggles in F1, the first person who gets blamed is the team principal. In Haas’ case, that could have been the case too, had Steiner been provided with the right resources. For a long time, the Kannapolis-based outfit has struggled with financial issues.
This includes the fact that they have to purchase parts from suppliers, as they don’t construct most of the things themselves. Sponsorship has also been an issue, and luck never seemed to be on Guenther Steiner’s side.
Most people, however, feel that Gene Haas never invested enough in F1. The sport is expensive, especially if one wants to reach the summit (or make an attempt towards it). In this aspect, it is widely believed that Gene Haas never helped Steiner out.
Ayao Komatsu has now replaced Steiner as the team principal at Haas. Whether he receives more backing or can do wonders with the resources at his disposal or not, is yet to be seen.
