Despite the United States presidential elections being over, the topic remains hotly discussed in pop culture. Among those discussing it, albeit on a lighthearted note, are Zak Brown and Guenther Steiner. While the McLaren CEO is an American by birth, the former Haas boss is one by choice as he holds citizenship in the US and Italy.
The duo recently appeared on The Red Flags Podcast, an F1 talk show co-hosted by two Americans — Matt Elisofon and Brian Muller. While at it, Brown put Steiner on the spot by asking him if he’d vote for him if he decided to contest the elections.
Steiner readily agreed but immediately asked for a position in Brown’s cabinet. This is how the conversation went:
Brown: Would you vote for me if I was running because I was thinking about it?
Steiner: Absolutely. And you would get me in there to do something for you?
Brown: Definitely, you’d be in my cabinet.
Given Brown’s aptitude for landing big sponsors at McLaren, Muller joked that he’d stamp the White House with a bunch of sponsor logos. Elisofon, however, was more interested in knowing what position Steiner would hold on Brown’s cabinet.
Elisofon: What cabinet position would you give Guenther?
Brown: Chief Trash Talker.
Steiner took over the role of team principal at Haas right from the year of its inception in 2016. That was also the year Brown took over the reins as the CEO of McLaren.
The two competed against each other until the Haas boss lost his job before the start of the 2024 season. Brown, on the other hand, is enjoying the newfound success at McLaren who are looking to win the title.
The change in Haas’ fortunes after Steiner’s sacking
Steiner was due an extension before the start of the 2024 season. However, the team’s bottom finish in the year before ended any possibility of that happening. Gene Haas, the team’s owner, informed Steiner of the decision through a phone call, which robbed the Italian-American of the opportunity to bid goodbye to the team he led for eight years.
Many expected Haas’ fate to continue on a similar trajectory after new boss Ayao Komatsu replaced Steiner. However, the results proved to be quite the contrary. Haas has finished in points positions frequently and is competing with Alpine and RB for P6 in the constructors’ standings.
After 23 races, it all comes down to the finale
McLaren lead Ferrari by 21 points, whilst further back Alpine leapfrog Haas #F1 #QatarGP pic.twitter.com/xudoKmWf5h
— Formula 1 (@F1) December 1, 2024
The American team is trailing the French outfit by five points heading into the season finale in Abu Dhabi. Red Bull’s sister team, meanwhile, is further behind by eight points.
