Millionaire Gene Haas V/S ‘Self-Made’ Guenther Steiner – Haas’ Likely Internal Battle That Ended in Disaster

Rub your eyes, read it, and weep because it’s true. The rockstar of F1, Guenther Steiner has left his post as Haas F1 team’s principal and won’t be around for the upcoming 2024 Formula 1 championship season with Director of Engineering Ayao Komatsu replacing him. For the first time when the sport was heading into a new season without any changes in the grid, the F1 silly season struck again as the Italian-American boss became the first casualty of 2024.

Could it be Haas’ last-place finish in the 2023 championship that led to this decision? Although the team never really broke into the midfield battle since its inception, except once. Or could it be Steiner’s reported consideration of taking legal action against Gene Haas for a stake in the team? Well, the Italian laughed those rumors off as well. So what could have led to this shocking and sudden decision to let go of the man who played a vital role in the creation of the team? Let’s ponder upon these questions with some background information.

Why Guenther Steiner was fired from the Haas job: A list of possibilities

Until we get official word from the team, Gene Haas, or Steiner himself, we can only assume what could’ve been the reason behind this sudden decision from Haas. However, the role that Steiner played, including his influence, popularity, and command over the team and all its personnel, has to have been a major incident for this reaction.

First and foremost, we still believe there is some truth in the ownership dispute between Steiner and Gene Haas.

1. The battle between the millionaire Gene Haas and self-made man Guenther Steiner

We all know how difficult it is to become a part of Formula 1 with the stringent rules the sport adheres to before granting entry to anyone. However, back in 2010, Guenther Steiner did it all by himself and made the Haas F1 team dream a reality.

The son of a butcher and a college dropout not only dreamt up the idea of entering Formula 1 again with a brand new team but also put in all the leg work. From getting the owner Gene Haas on board to hiring every single member of the staff, he did it all by himself. Despite Gene Haas’ initial refusal to invest, Steiner did not deter from the path as the primary investor came on board and instead of using customer chassis, the team developed their own with some outsourcing. The Italian boss truly made the American F1 dream possible single-handedly with Gene Haas enabling him with his investment. Steiner even confessed, “I think it has to be my passion project. I started this team. I went out and found an investor.”

There were rumors that Gene Haas had promised Steiner a 50% stake in the team. However, with Haas’ valuation falling $100 million shy of a billion in 2023, things became serious and Steiner wanted to formalize his stake in the team before it was too late. He perhaps wanted to do so because of the constant acquisition proposals the team was getting. The former boss even revealed, “Every week, we get offers for someone to buy the team. But it’s not for £1! It’s hundreds of millions now. It’s now a good investment and a good thing to have.”

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This perhaps gave birth to the rumors about Steiner taking legal action to claim his 50%. Even though Steiner quickly ridiculed these rumors stating both he and Gene Haas laughed about it, we are not sure if that was truly the case. This topic could’ve gathered steam again and discussions regarding the same during winter could’ve resulted in this disaster. However, the other reason could be the most logical one.

2. Continued poor performances led to a mutual decision to part ways

The Haas team made its F1 debut in 2016 as the first American constructor in 30 years. The expectations were high with Gene Haas already tasting success with his NASCAR team. He perhaps expected the same output from his F1 team but his investment did not match his ambitions and subsequently, neither did the results.

Despite that, the team experienced some genuine highs under the leadership of the third most experienced team principal in the sport. Haas scored points on debut in Australia in 2016, secured a maiden pole position in Brazil in 2022, and most importantly a P5 in the Constructors’ Championship in 2018. However, the last position in the championship in 2023 was perhaps the nail in the coffin. At least that’s what Gene Haas said was the reason.

Speaking to the media after the decision, he said, “We have had some successes, but we need to be consistent in delivering results that help us reach our wider goals as an organization. We need to be efficient with the resources we have but improving our design and engineering capability is key to our success as a team. – this truly reflects my desire to compete properly in Formula 1.”

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Some Sky Sports experts also believe that Steiner was distracted with his book and involvement in a US comedy series. Perhaps all these added agendas on the list, while the team was at the bottom, likely did not sit well with Gene Haas. Well, let’s hope we find out the real reason behind Steiner’s exit from Haas.

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