For the first time since his unforeseen dismissal from Haas as team principal, Guenther Steiner has publicly addressed the situation.
Steiner’s departure was announced this week, coinciding with Haas’s preparations for the upcoming 2024 Formula 1 season, which is just two months away.
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Haas finished at the bottom of the constructors’ championship in 2023, seemingly pushing team owner Gene Haas’s patience to its limit.
The reason behind Haas’s decision to part ways with Guenther Steiner
Despite his abrupt exit, Steiner defended his tenure at Haas and expressed surprise at the termination of his role. He hinted that the team’s lacklustre results might be attributed to insufficient investment, limiting their ability to compete effectively with other teams.
“It was a bit of a surprise,” Steiner said at Autosport International. “Gene felt that is the way he wants to take the team forward. It’s his decision, not my one. He owns the place and if you own something, you have got the right to do what you want.
“F1 has changed a lot in the last 10 years, especially after the Covid period – how much it grew, how much bigger it got and how different it got with the budget cap.
“If you look at all the other teams, they are all gearing up. They started to gear up two years ago, some last year, so everybody is getting stronger and investing a lot in the future.”
Steiner expresses disappointment over manner of departure from Haas
Since joining Haas as team principal in 2014, two years before their 2016 Formula 1 debut, Guenther Steiner played a pivotal role in the team’s development. However, his tenure came to an abrupt end during a phone call with team owner Gene Haas between Christmas and the New Year.
Steiner’s immediate replacement at Haas is Ayao Komatsu. Reflecting on his departure, Steiner voiced his bitterness about not having the opportunity to personally bid farewell to his colleagues at Haas, underscoring the emotional impact of his sudden exit.
“I didn’t have the chance to say thank you to a few people when I left Haas,” said Steiner added. “I would just like to thank all the team members, which I couldn’t give a proper goodbye to when I left.
“I want to say also thank you to all the fans which supported us while I was there, so it’s fantastic. I really appreciate it.
“It stung to not say bye. But they all know me and know that I still appreciate what they did. It’s always best to say it to them vocally but it would be nice to say ‘hey guys, thanks for all what you did for the team’.
“It was a team that was very small and ran on adrenaline a lot of times. They did a good job and I want to say thank you to them. It doesn’t make you happy not saying thank you.”
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