Günther Steiner regrets not being able to bid farewell to Haas
Günther Steiner had been Haas F1's managing director since the team's arrival in the sport. He was dismissed from the team during the winter break by team owner Gene Haas. Steiner regrets not having been able to bid farewell to the team.
On January 10th, Gene Haas announced the departure of Günther Steiner, executive director of his team. The native of Merano, Italy had been at the helm of the American team since their entry into F1 in 2016.
Steiner’s contract was coming to an end and he was not renewed by the team owner. During the International Motor Show, the former Haas team director confessed that he was unable to bid farewell to the team members.
« Yes, it stung me, but in the end, they all know me and they know that I always appreciate what they have done. It’s always better to tell them ‘Hey guys, thanks for everything you’ve done for the team’ because the team, when we started, was very small and often running on adrenaline. They did a good job. I want to thank them, of course it doesn’t make you happy not to thank them, says Steiner.
(D) It’s always a bit of a surprise, but he is the owner of the team, he can do whatever he wants, and it’s his decision. I think that can only be resolved in the future. I can’t say what will happen in the future. It’s for sure that he thought it was the way he wanted to move the team forward. It’s his decision, not mine. He owns the place and if you own something, you have the right to do what you want with it », explains the Italo-American.
« Since we acquired this model 10 years ago, when we started, Formula 1 has changed a lot. You have seen how much Formula 1 has changed after the COVID period, how much it has grown, how it has changed with the budget cap, how we use the budget cap to brainstorm on how to do things,” explains the former Haas director.
I don’t know Gene Haas’ plans for the future.
(Translation) If you look at the other teams, they are all getting ready. So everyone is becoming stronger and investing a lot in the future. Because Formula 1, I think, is on a very good path right now, and that’s what is needed to stay competitive, rejoices the fifty-year-old.
I don’t know Gene Haas’ plans for the future, he hasn’t shared them with me. And he’s not obliged to, I want to make that clear, and I’m not really interested anymore. On the other hand, I see where others are going, and the model we started with at the beginning, I think it was a very good model, but maybe it’s no longer relevant in terms of time, he thinks.
« You need to invest beyond the cost ceiling in order to make the most of the operational cost ceiling. I’m not saying it’s very complex, but you need to think about how you can make the most of the operational cost ceiling money to make the car faster. And that’s normally because you’re investing in something to do it, and it has to be done. I think a lot of people understood a few years ago how to be efficient by spending money on capital investments, and then making sure the operational aspect is more efficient », concludes Günther Steiner.
