It was not without reason that Günther Steiner left the Haas garage at the start of the year. Now the former team boss comes up with his own take on why.
Günther Steiner was synonymous with Haas F1 until, with immediate effect, he was no more after being fired in January.
However, there are differing opinions as to why. And now the former team manager takes the leaf out of his mouth and comes up with his own explanation.
In a new interview with the German media Auto Motor und Sport, Günther Steiner makes it clear that, according to him, the dismissal is based on disagreements at management level. More specifically between him and team owner Gene Haas.
The two managers wanted to go their separate ways with Haas. But one has a little more to say than the other.
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– I wanted to invest in the team – he (Gene Haas, ed.) didn't want to. We simply had different views on how things should work going forward, says Steiner.
In other words, Steiner believes that you cannot run a Formula 1 team in the same way as was possible in 2016, when Haas cut short their first season.
Günther Steiner believes that Haas F1 needed investments of between 100 and 150 million dollars. Something that would have brought the team up to a gear where they would be able to employ around 600 employees and have their own production facilities.
Instead, Haas insists on buying as much as possible from engine supplier Ferrari. Which also means that Haas has facilities in several countries – England, Italy and the headquarters in the USA.
But in 2024 it is not a durable and sustainable solution, believes Steiner. And not at all if Haas is to be competitive.
– The budget ceiling has completely changed Formula 1. Old structures no longer work. McLaren, Williams, AlphaTauri have over the past two years invested in infrastructure.
– So they have more budget for the operational part of the business. If you don't follow suit, you can't expect to be able to follow along.
– You need to upgrade the infrastructure to save money on operational expenses. Each piece of software, for example, saves money on the personnel side.
– Each new machine helps you produce more cheaply. And then you have money left over to develop the car.
However, Haas is not the only Formula 1 team that may end up having a new team manager at the first lob in 2024. That, by the way, will be confirmed in Bahrain in March. Read more about it here .
