The location and the side of a motorhome in F1 tell a lot about the position of a team. While the location in the paddock denotes their position in last year’s standings, the size reflects their money muscle. Haas, having finished last in the championship in 2023, and being among the most under-funded teams, lacks in both arenas.
Owing to their finish at the bottom of the standings, the team has its motorhome at the deep end of the paddocks. Some team principals dub it a ‘walk of shame’ if they have to cross other teams to reach their motorhome. What makes things even more embarrassing for Haas drivers, and other personnel is the puny size of their motorhome.
The co-hosts of The Red Flags Podcast, Brian Muller and Matt Elisofon, recently got a chance to visit the Silverstone paddock. Being the guests of Haas’ former boss Guenther Steiner, they had to visit the American team’s motorhome. Their experience couldn’t be more hilarious as they roasted the team and Steiner joined in.
BREAKING : Guenther Steiner confirms there are more wheels than doors at the Haas motorhome pic.twitter.com/NU5VtRwdFE
— F1network (@F1networkig) March 12, 2022
As Elisofon mocked Haas for having their motorhome so far away that it felt like traveling to Siberia, Steiner responded, “Could you see it?” The Italian-American then roasted his former team further by revealing the ‘pity pitches’ he would make to the sponsors by using the size of their motorhome to his advantage.
He said, “You explain to them [sponsors], ‘Oh, you don’t need that big a motorhome. The small one is very cozy, it’s very nice.’ All that stuff. That is how you try to get them into the motorhome because they cannot get out anymore because it’s so small.” He added, “You corner them. I think at some stage they feel sorry for you. It’s a pity pitch.”
How Steiner kept Haas afloat amid fund crunch
Haas is arguably one of the most cash-strapped teams in F1. Team owner Gene Haas is known to be very careful about pumping money into the operations. The approach has taken the team on the verge of going into a crisis on multiple occasions. The effect it has on the development of their cars is a separate debate altogether.
This approach has also led to the team often landing itself in trouble with its sponsors. On one of those occasions, Steiner had to jump in and get Russian oligarch Dmitry Mazepin onboard. The Uralkali fertilizer company owner imposed several conditions on the deal, including a seat reserved for his son Nikita Mazepin.
While the deal came to an abrupt end with the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, it helped Haas stay afloat in tough times. Steiner played a pivotal role in landing such sponsors but ultimately quit the team earlier this year on a bitter note.
He even has lawsuits against Haas going on, with allegations of non-payment of compensation he deserved during the employment. The team responded with a trademark violation lawsuit of their own against Steiner for the use of the Haas logo on his book, ‘Surviving to Drive’.
