Guenther Steiner walks around the F1 paddock with his head held high these days.
Although he left Haas F1 at the end of last year, he still feels connected to the team’s success this season.
Steiner believes the team’s current success is partly due to the groundwork laid last year. “Absolutely. Not only mine, I always put it this way, the people who were there last year, some of the people are still there,” he says. The plan was to reset and move forward after hitting a dead end in car development: “To take a step back to make it forward” was the idea.
End to the Adventure at Haas
Tensions have risen between Gene Haas and Steiner since his departure, leading to court battles. “I always feel it as life. Life sometimes puts you up in situations where it isn’t how you want it to end, and you just have to deal with it,” Steiner shrugs.
Despite the rocky end, Steiner appreciates what he gained from his time at Haas. He became well-known thanks to Netflix’s Drive to Survive series. Now, everywhere he goes, fans recognize him and ask for autographs or photos.
“Yeah, it’s true. And you thought I was running away from you. I was running away from the other people!” Steiner laughs, then adds seriously, “The people like Formula One, and if they like what I did, it’s fine.”
Fans often wonder if he’ll return to F1 because they miss him.
Could Steiner Return to an F1 Team?
Talking with Steiner is always fun—full of laughter and jokes. But will we see him in another F1 team soon? Probably not.
“I’m not coming back just for a job,” he says. It has to be a project he likes with people who enjoy working with him. He’s not interested in taking just any job; it has to be a step forward.
He has received calls from media about becoming an analyst, which he enjoys. “So I always enjoy what I do. And when I’m on TV, I enjoy it.”
Steiner Always Has a Strong Opinion
Steiner is known for speaking his mind. Just ask Mick Schumacher and Ralf, who think he’s too negative about Michael’s son.
“Do I like what everybody says all the time? No. But do I respect their opinion? Yeah,” he explains. He believes everyone can have their own opinion without getting upset about differing views.
Formula 1 is entertainment: “Yeah, it’s part of it. I mean, if you all just start to say the same thing, there’s no story in it.”
What do you think about Steiner’s thoughts?
