F1 expert Craig Slater has revealed some shocking details about the recent departure of Guenther Steiner. The Italian-American left the Haas team with immediate effect after the side did not provide him with an extension. Although team owner Gene Haas claimed that the reason he chose to part ways with Steiner was because of the 58-year-old’s failure to meet expectations, Slater believes that the American owner’s explanation is mere hypocrisy. The F1 expert pointed out on the most recent episode of the Sky Sports F1 podcast that Haas never provided Steiner with the necessary finances to succeed in the first place.
“It’s a big call. And if they’re not going to provide extra finance to rebuild the factory and all that, how is Ayao Komatsu (Steiner’s successor) going to do any better? Apparently, Gene Haas is saying, ‘This is not a signal I’m about to sell the team. I’m in it for the long haul, don’t even want big new investors,’” explained Slater.
The Sky Sports presenter then provided some surprising details about how Guenther Steiner did not even receive the opportunity to say goodbye to the people working in the Haas factory. Slater claimed that his sources have also told him that the factory workers are unhappy to hear about Steiner’s departure.
Since Steiner had to deal with such high expectations with constrained resources at his disposal, the task for Komatsu is likely to be equally difficult. Although the Japanese engineer is vastly experienced, getting an outfit like Haas out of their recent slump is going to be a tall order for even the most established of team leaders in F1.
As for the sacking of Steiner, the criticism just did not stop at Slater. Damon Hill too explained how it was surprising to hear about the Italian-American’s departure.
Damon Hill explains why Guenther Steiner’s sacking was unexpected
While speaking on the same podcast, Damon Hill has labeled Guenther Steiner’s departure as a huge loss to not just Haas but to F1 as a whole. The Italian-American was one of the most popular individuals in the paddock and also a fan favorite.
Since Steiner had such a critical role in helping the Haas team make it to F1, Hill believes it was the 58-year-old’s team even though he did not own it. “Guenther was actually one of the masterminds of putting the whole thing together. Gene was really the investor,” explained Hill.
The 1996 F1 champion then explained how Steiner’s sudden rise in fame became too much for some people to handle. While Hill did not name Gene Haas, it is likely that he was referring to the American team owner since all this while the Briton was discussing about him.
Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen have both thanked departing team boss Guenther Steiner #F1 pic.twitter.com/lAPPze4LCd
— Formula 1 (@F1) January 11, 2024
As for Guenther Steiner, his popularity massively increased thanks to Netflix’s acclaimed series, Drive to Survive. In this docuseries, fans loved Steiner because of how charismatic and outspoken he was during his interviews.
The Italian-American never minced his words and also cursed a lot while speaking on live television, something that made his interviews a much-watch for fans. As a result of Steiner’s increase in popularity, he also received offers from some shows.
CBS signed the 58-year-old for their upcoming workplace-based comedy show. However, they are yet to reveal the details of what the show entails.
