Steiner offers update on F1 future after shock Haas exit

Guenther Steiner has revealed that he is “not in a hurry” to return to Formula 1 after Haas elected to not retain him as Team Principal beyond the end of the 2023 season.

Haas announced the shock news on Wednesday that Steiner’s contract had not been extended, with the Italian departing having been with the side since its inception. Ayao Komatsu, formerly Head of Trackside Engineering, was named as his replacement.

The Kannapolis-based squad had regressed since classifying fifth in the Constructors’ standings in 2018, slumping to the bottom of the championship with 12 points last year.

It was touted that Steiner had proposed the need for extra investment, while team owner Gene Haas wanted an improvement to “on-track performances” with the current model.

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Speaking for the first time since his exit was made public, Steiner admits that it “stung” to not be granted the chance to say goodbye to the team after being informed late last year.

“Can I start with just something off for my side?” Steiner interrupted Sky F1 commentator David Croft when talking on stage at Autosport International 2024.

“I didn’t have the chance to say thank you to a few people when I left Haas F1.

“I would just like to thank all the team members who I couldn’t give a proper goodbye to when I left. 

“So I’ll do it this way. And I want to say also to all the fans who supported us while I was there, it’s fantastic – thank you to everybody for the support I got and I am getting, so I’m mega appreciative. 

“Yeah, it stung, but they all know me and they all know that I appreciate what they did. It’s always best to say it to them, it would be nice to say, ‘Hey guys, thanks for what you did for the team’.”

Steiner proceeded to add that he was partially surprised to receive the news through a phone call but conceded that Gene Haas could run the operation how he saw fit.

While the 58-year-old doubled down on his reservations about the business template Haas uses in F1, Steiner declared he wasn’t “really interested” in the team’s prospects.

“Since we have had this model, Formula 1 has changed a lot,” he acknowledged.

“We saw during COVID how much bigger it grew. How much different it got with the budget cap, how we used the budget cap.

“If you look at all the other teams, they were all gearing up. They are not gearing up now. They started to gear up, some three years ago, some years ago, some last year.

“I don’t know Gene Haas’s plans for the future. He didn’t share them with me. He doesn’t have to, by the way.

“I’m actually not really interested in it anymore.”

Steiner also commented that he “cannot answer” if the framework at Haas will provide the platform for Komatsu, formerly of BAR and Lotus, to inspire an upturn.

Meanwhile, addressing the chances of him returning to the sport in any capacity, Steiner divulged that he wouldn’t come back to F1 to make up the numbers within an organisation.

“If Formula 1 wants me, I don’t know!” Steiner answered when asked.

“In our situation, I, I’m not in a hurry, you know. There are always people who will see me around in Formula 1; I’ve met a lot of people and made a lot of friends. 

“If there’s something interesting and which challenges me, yes, but just looking for a job just to stay in F1, maybe that’s not what I want.”