Following a disastrous 2023 season, Guenther Steiner, the former Team Principal of the Moneygram Haas F1 team, was relieved of his role by the team’s American owner, Gene Haas, in January ’24.
Fast forward to the new 2024 season, he remains involved in Formula 1 as a columnist and F1 pundit. However, recently, Guenther Steiner has revealed a ‘specific’ condition that needs to be met before he can make a shocking return to Formula 1.
Guenther Steiner talks on possible F1 return
In his first article for F1.com, Guenther Steiner, who is also serving as a columnist for the official F1 site, has put forth a certain condition that needs to be addressed before he can consider joining other F1 teams as Team Principal.
Guenther Steiner touched down on this specific condition in the very last line of his article, by penning, “I would come back to F1 in the future, but it needs to be the right project, done right.”
In the article, he also hinted that his future F1 team needs to have “patience and long-term planning” if he is to sign with them. He expressed it by writing, “You need that patience and long-term planning.”
“When Toto Wolff started with Mercedes, the team at the time was not at the top. Yes, they had the advantage of the engine at the beginning, but he set everything up right to be successful in the mid-term – and they won eight constructors’ championships,” he added, naming Mercedes and Toto Wolff as an example.
Bringing Red Bull into the mix, he wrote, “It’s the same thing with Red Bull. How long did it take for them to get there? Every year, they kept on getting better.” Amidst talking about his possible return, Steiner also put out his thoughts on leaving Haas.
Why did Guenther Steiner leave Hass?
In the latter parts of his article, Guenther Steiner also admitted that ‘stepping away’ as Haas’ Team Principal has been pretty clarifying for him and given him the time to think what he can do better in his future team.
Reflecting on the reason behind leaving Haas, he quoted, by saying, “This time [away from F1] has been good for me. The longer time goes on, the more I can see that I stayed at Haas too long.”
“When you step away, you get clarity – and you can see what you need to do. While you’re there, you’re in denial, you think you can do it, but you cannot.”
Emphasizing on his time at Haas, he wrote, “When I was there, with what we had, you could still fight for being seventh, eighth or ninth – but you couldn’t fight for podiums without the same weapons as the other guys.”
“Doing that in the long-term is not what I want to do in life. I don’t want to be seventh again. I’ve done that. I want to be able to fight, to battle at the front,” he concluded, revealing the specific reason behind his departure.
As for now, Steiner will pack his bags and travel to Melbourne with the Formula 1 crew, as part of another role as TV pundit – adding much to Gene Haas’ dislike.
Will Guenther Steiner make his return to Formula 1 in the next season? Which F1 team could sign him up as their Team Principal? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
