Uncovered: What Did Haas Employees Really Think About Guenther Steiner?

Saturday, 13 January 2024 at 03:00

How Was Guenther Steiner as a team principal? Did Haas employees like him and his approach? A few of them have shared their opinion about the former team principal.

Guenther Stainer was unexpectedly announced to be parting ways with Haas one day ago after eight years in the position of the American team's principal.

Former F1 driver and World Champion Damon Hill stated the departure of the Steiner from Haas is a big loss for F1. Many fans loved him, and he was the third most broadcasted principal despite being in the last team on the grid.

But will his departure from Haas be a loss for the team? What did Steiner's employees think about him? PlanetF1 recently conducted interviews with a few of them, and here is what they said:

"He is the best team boss I’ve ever worked with, and I’ve worked with a lot. With Guenther, there’s no question. You always know what’s going on."

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Steiner was known for being outspoken, stating his opinions bluntly without hesitation... And his employees loved it, because they always knew how they were doing.

"He’s not hiding, he’s always telling you the truth. If I was f***ing something up, he came to me: ‘What the f*** are you doing? Pull yourself together."

When asked about the reason for Steiner's separation from the team, the team owner, Gene Haas, pointed to insufficient performances over the course of eight years, topped by last place in the Championship in 2023.

On the other hand, Steiner's role was very challenging because his team had a smaller budget compared to its rivals. Nevertheless, he tried to do what he could and Haas employees liked his direct and personal approach.

"People in this kind of industry or environment, we love this, because if I make a mistake, I know that. I don’t need someone trying to explain why I made a mistake in language that I don’t understand."

"I need someone to come here and tell me, ‘You made a mistake.’ But on the other hand, if you did good, [Steiner] was always there tapping your shoulder, saying, ‘Mate, that’s it. Good work.'"

It seems clear that people in Haas liked Guenther Steiner. The only problem is that his approach didn't deliver desired results. Steiner's replacement, Ayao Komatsu, will have a very challenging role in all aspects.

The fans are outraged by the departure of his predecessor; his team is standing last in the Championship, and he has less than two months until the first race of the season. Can he do a better job than the previous team principal?