“It’s Not Existing Anymore”: Guenther Steiner on His Relationship With Gene Haas After His Firing From the Team

After spending eight years as the Team Principal of Haas, Guenther Steiner parted ways with the Kannapolis-based outfit in 2023. Still riding the fame he amassed during his time in the sport, Steiner was promoting his latest book—titled ‘Unfiltered’—recently. During that, he was quizzed about his relationship with the owner of his ex-team, Gene Haas.

On the Pitstop Podcast, the hosts were reading the acknowledgment section of the book and noted a rather interesting note for Steiner’s former employer. The Italian-American thanked his family, friends, and Haas team members, “Except you Gene”.

This prompted them to ask Steiner if his equation with the American team owner had changed over the past year. Steiner was quick to reply, “It’s not existing anymore! So, it’s changed quite a bit, you know.”

Gene sacked Steiner at the end of the 2023 season after what he considered an underwhelming campaign. The decision “came down to performance,”  as per Haas (reported by ESPN). Rumors also suggested that when Steiner approached Haas with the possibility of becoming a shareholder in the team, he was bluntly refused.

Considered the face of Haas, Steiner felt he deserved better. He revealed that he will serve up some never known before revelations in his book.

Steiner’s life after Haas

Since his sacking, Steiner has carved out a successful career in media. In addition to being a TV pundit, he has also published two books. His first book, Surviving to Drive, even led to Gene Haas filing a lawsuit against him for breach of intellectual property rights.

However, this lawsuit was recently dismissed. A California court ruled in favor of Steiner, dismissing the case without the option to amend, meaning Haas cannot sue him over the same allegations again.

| Guenther Steiner reveals why Gene Haas replaced him.

“I wanted to invest in the team, but he didn’t.”https://t.co/Riex4rBvUX

— formula racers (@formularacers_) February 8, 2024

That said, with Steiner’s latest book threatening to provide an unprecedented look inside how the Haas F1 team functioned and revealing inner paddock stories, one can expect pushback from those not portrayed in a favorable light by the 59-year-old.