Steiner Speaks Out For First Time Since Haas Departure: 'Didn't See It Coming'

Sunday, 14 January 2024 at 11:00

Former team principal of Haas Formula One team, Guenther Steiner, discussed his departure from has for the first time since the announcement.

Four days ago, the Haas F1 team shared shocking news announcing their long-term team principal, Guenther Steiner, would be replaced in his position by Ayao Komatsu.

Haas has been struggling at the back of the grid for the major part since the team's entry into F1. But the Italian team principal became the face of the team. If somebody said "Haas", people would think "Guenther Steiner."

Therefore, it surprised everybody when the announcement came out, saying not only that Steiner would be replaced but also that he would leave the team immediately. The former team principal told Sky Sports:

"Obviously, nobody was happy with the results in 2023, but I didn't see this coming. I knew that the renewal of my contract was coming up, and then when a renewal is coming up, it can be that it's not getting renewed.

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The team principal apparently learned about his contract not being prolonged right between Christmas and New Year's. There were also suggestions he didn't even get a chance to say goodbye to his team.

"I didn’t have the chance to say thank you to a few people when I left Haas. I would just like to thank all the team members, which I couldn’t give a proper goodbye to when I left."

Martin Brundle wrote on his social media the fact that Steiner wasn't quoted in the official press release suggested friction. While Steiner didn't elaborate on how the call with the team owner went, he did admit not being able to say goodbye to his team hurt.

"It stung to not say bye. But they all know me and know that I still appreciate what they did. It’s always best to say it to them vocally but it would be nice to say ‘hey guys, thanks for all what you did for the team’"