Guenther Steiner believes he should have left Haas two years before his eventual Formula 1 sacking ‘took that decision away’ from him.
Steiner was instrumental in getting the Banbury-based outfit on the grid back in 2016, lobbying with the likes of Stefano Domenicali to make Haas a Ferrari customer outfit.
The 61-year-old then stayed on as Team Principal, leading Haas to its best-ever fifth-placed Constructors’ finish in 2018.
But from thereon, things went downhill for Steiner. A botched title partnership with Rich Energy in 2019 and controversies surrounding its line-up of Nikita Mazepin and Mick Schumacher, through 2020 and 2022, compounded the team’s on-track miseries.
At the end of the 2023 season, Team Owner Gene Haas decided to part ways with Steiner, as the team opted not to renew his contract.
Reflecting on his years with the team, Steiner candidly remarked that he should have quit as early as 2021.
“I think I stayed two years too long,” he said on the High Performance podcast.
“What I should have done better or differently was to explain my vision better so they would do it, but I don’t know if I would ever have achieved that.
“What I should have done was just say, ‘Hey, it’s not working. I’m leaving now.’
“But in the end, I don’t regret not leaving two years before. I’m pretty fine with it. With hindsight, that’s what I say, but at the time it wasn’t this bad because otherwise I would have done it.”
Guenther Steiner reveals Haas phone call that ended his F1 stint
Steiner’s departure from the team stemmed from a difference of opinion between the Italian-American and Haas.
His right-hand man, Ayao Komatsu, was promoted as Team Principal, and in fairness, the team hasn’t progressed much, at least on track, since.
The 61-year-old conceded that had he left of his own will, he would not have been ‘sacked’ but thanks Haas for deciding in hindsight – a reality he finds much more liberating.
“[The decision] was taken away, but I was pretty happy that it was taken away,” he added.
“Sometimes you want to make a decision, but then you don’t. When it came to it, I was very happy when it happened because I didn’t agree with where the team was going. My vision was different than the owner’s.”
Steiner also recalled how he was informed of being relieved from his duties via a phone call, while he was grocery shopping with his wife.
“I was at the supermarket, and I answered […] I was at the deli counter picking up my ham for the night, or salami, and my wife was with me,” Steiner said.
“It was quite funny. I told her, ‘I’m not with Haas anymore,’ and she said, ‘What do you mean?’ all in the supermarket.
“It was quite funny. I told her, ‘I’m not with Haas anymore,’ and she said, ‘What do you mean?’ all in the supermarket.”
Since he departed from the paddock as a Team Principal, Steiner has turned to punditry and has also dabbled in team ownership with KTM Tech3 in MotoGP and Moto3.
READ MORE – Guenther Steiner admits to willingness for F1 return
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