Steiner Admits Staying at Haas Two Years Too Long

Guenther Steiner has admitted he should have left Haas two years before his eventual Formula 1 sacking at the end of 2023. The 61-year-old believes staying on too long was his biggest mistake during his tenure as Team Principal.

Steiner was instrumental in getting the Banbury-based outfit onto the F1 grid in 2016, lobbying Stefano Domenicali and Ferrari to make Haas a customer team. The pinnacle came in 2018 when Haas finished fifth in the Constructors' Championship, their best-ever result.

But thereafter, things went downhill. A disastrous title partnership with Rich Energy in 2019, controversies surrounding the driver line-up of Nikita Mazepin and Mick Schumacher from 2020 to 2022, and declining on-track performance put Steiner under increasing pressure. Team owner Gene Haas finally decided not to renew his contract after the 2023 season.

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Reflecting on the High Performance podcast, Steiner was candid: "I think I stayed two years too long," he said. "What I should have done better or differently was to explain my vision better, or just say, 'Hey, it's not working. I'm leaving now.'"

Despite that, Steiner doesn't regret staying at the time. "With hindsight, that's what I say, but at the time it wasn't this bad otherwise I would have done it," he added. He also revealed that being sacked actually came as a relief, as his vision diverged from the owner's.

Steiner recalled the moment he was told over the phone while grocery shopping with his wife. "I was at the supermarket, at the deli counter picking up my ham or salami, and my wife was with me," he said. "I told her, 'I'm not with Haas anymore,' and she was like, 'What do you mean?' in the middle of the store." Since leaving the paddock as a Team Principal, Steiner has turned to F1 analysis and writing, but his departure story remains one of the most intriguing chapters of his career.