Image Credits - Guenther Steiner Twitter
The Haas team principal, Guenther Steiner, has become quite a well-known member at the F1 paddock over the years.
At the 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix, Haas shocked the F1 world when they had Kevin Magnussen finish P5 in the opening race of the season. The team also saw Mick Schumacher take a career-best P11. While many F1 fans credited the two drivers, others also pointed out that Guenther Steiner did wonders in order to turn the fortunes of the team after a torrid season in 2021.
Haas also had issues before the current season began as they parted ways with Russian driver Nikita Mazepin and removed Uralkali as their sponsor. The American outfit also had a freight delay which seemed to hamper their pre-season testing in Bahrain. Nevertheless, Guenther Steiner has appeared to have restored some normalcy as he leads the team for the ninth year at the helm.
Guenther Steiner joined Haas as the team principal in 2014, the same year as the team’s inception. Only two years later, Haas entered Formula 1 and became the first American constructor in the sport since 30 years. In their first season in F1, Haas finished in 8th place in the Constructors’ standings with 29 points. All of their points that year were Romain Grosjean.
Haas had another 8th-placed finish in 2017, 5th in 2018, 9th in 2019 and 2020 and 10th in 2021. Their 2021 season was the worst in F1 so far and Steiner came under immense pressure for the team’s dismal season last year. Haas failed to pick up even a single point during the course of the season with Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepins as the team’s two drivers.
However, with the new era in Formula 1, it seems that the team has been able to push for points, as shown Magnussen at the Bahrain GP. Even Schumacher doesn’t seem too far away from getting his first point(s) in F1.
Steiner had initially began his F1 stint in 2001 when he took up the role of managing director at Jaguar Racing. During his time with the team, he helped in reducing the expenditure and reorganized the structure to provide a strong future. But Jaguar were still struggling at the time and replaced Steiner while offering the Italian a different role at the team, but he declined and left in 2003.
He then returned to the Milton Keynes-based outfit the following year but this time, in the colours of Red Bull racing. Steiner took the technical operations director’s role at the team and worked alongside Chrisitian Horner. While Steiner was able to improve the team’s results in just a few years, Red Bull were able to poach Adrian Newey from championship-winning team McLaren and they offered him Steiner’s job.
Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz then approached Steiner and offered him a role to establish a NASCAR team in the US. Steiner agreed as the Red Bull department was getting overcrowded. He left his position at Red Bull in 2008.
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