Guenther Steiner Places Bets on Charles Leclerc to Beat Max Verstappen for the Title for His Own Profit

Guenther Steiner is a man who always lives by straightforward behavior. Be it sacking Mick Schumacher or Nikita Mazepin without remorse or even speaking his mind out regarding things that directly benefit his own team. One such occasion was when he chose Charles Leclerc as Max Verstappen’s successor in terms of winning the F1 world championship. This too, was done for his own benefit.

Steiner met with Sky Sports F1‘s Craig Slater recently and the duo went for Christmas lunch together. There, they discussed a lot about F1 and in between the talks, Slater asked the Haas boss who could succeed Verstappen to claim the F1 title.

Steiner, spontaneous as always, said, “I hope Charles [Leclerc] because that means they [Ferrari] got a good package and then we get a little bit.”

With that, he didn’t forget to mention that he is “self-centered.” Notably, the reason for Steiner’s wish to see Leclerc succeed is because Haas takes engines from Ferrari.

Haas always had a close relationship with the Maranello-based team since their formation in 2016. From that year onwards, they have been a customer team and their alliance is still going strong. Therefore, Leclerc’s success means Ferrari’s success which it will be a good thing for Steiner and his team.

How has Haas been performing with Ferrari engines?

How good Ferrari’s engines are plays a big role in determining Haas’ fortunes. For instance, the American team started the 2022 F1 season in a brilliant fashion where they locked horns with Mercedes in the opening race in Bahrain. Going against the defending Constructors’ championship, despite finishing the 2021 F1 season with zero points was no easy feat.

Their 2022 haul was decent as well where they claimed 37 points and finished the season in P8 in the Constructors’ championship. Comparing that to Ferrari, the Italian team also started their year off with brilliance by taking two wins in the first three races.

This photo confirms one thing – that the new Haas sidepods/engine cover are definitely Ferrari-style.

The louvres are positioned differently, though.

Not at all similar to the Alpine, as was suggested by many when looking at the side pictures.

@ChrisMedlandF1 pic.twitter.com/K6OHdov1O5

— Formula Data Analysis (@FDataAnalysis) July 29, 2022

However, things changed as the season went on. Ferrari started losing ground and in 2023 they were the third best team. As for Haas, they too began underperforming. This season, they finished in P10 in the championship with 12 points.

All in all, Charles Leclerc outperforming Red Bull and Max Verstappen with his Ferrari would only benefit Haas and Guenther Steiner. As a team principal who invests so much behind a team, that is not an unusual ask on the part of Steiner for sure.