Günther Steiner looks back on his time in F1: “I stayed too long at Haas
The former boss of the Haas team looks back on his career in motor racing's premier class. He regrets the lack of resources his team had at its disposal to perform well.
He finally speaks up. Three months after his contract was not renewed, Günther Steiner opened up. The Italo-American now has a column on the official F1 website. And in his opening lines, he reflected on his time at Haas. Not without regrets.
Life is beautiful since I left Haas before this season. In recent weeks, for the first time in about ten years, I have distanced myself from F1. This period has been beneficial for me, he reckons.
The more time goes by, the more I realize that I stayed at Haas for too long. When you step back, you gain clarity and can see what needs to be done. When you are there, you are in denial, you think you can do it but it’s not the case.
I do not want to be seventh again.
In the same publication, the one who was replaced by Ayao Komatsu considers that his team lacks resources. And that it is impossible for Haas to hope for more than a few points here and there. And this lack of performance was testing his patience. “I do not want to be seventh again. I want to be able to fight at the front,” he says.
When Toto Wolff started with Mercedes, the team was not at the top. They certainly had the advantage of the engine at the beginning [in 2014], but he set everything up to succeed in the medium term; and they won eight constructor championships. It’s the same with Red Bull. How long did it take them to get there? Every year, they improved. Patience and long-term planning are required.
From now on, Günther Steiner is always close to the circuits. The Italo-American is a consultant for our German television colleagues and will also do some work for Canal +.
