By 
Former Haas Formula 1 team principal Guenther Steiner has shed new light on his relationship with team owner Gene Haas following his exit from the team, confirming that he currently has “no relationship” with his former boss.
Steiner parted ways with the American outfit at the end of the 2023 season after his contract was not renewed. He was replaced by Ayao Komatsu, who has remained in the role since.
During an interview on the High Performance podcast, the Italian-American discussed the gradual deterioration of his relationship with Haas.
“In the beginning, we agreed on most things. I think it started to deteriorate after 2020, after the crisis of COVID, when the team struggled to get back on their feet,” Steiner explained.
“We just started talking less, but there was nothing bad in it. We had disagreements all the time, but we always found a way out of it like you do in a relationship. But after a while, there was just very little talking.”
Kevin Magnussen, Haas F1 Team, Gene Haas, Owner and Founder, Haas F1 Team, Guenther Steiner, Team Principal, Haas F1 Team and Romain Grosjean, Haas F1 Team
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
When asked about his relationships with people who are still working in the paddock, Steiner added: “Oh, I mean most of the people, I’ve got a very good relationship. I would say not with Gene Haas.
“But it’s not a bad [relationship], we just have no relationship – that’s it. And I’m fine with that. We sorted our stuff out, and that’s it. I move on. He can move on. I’m pretty happy to move on without him. And he’s pretty happy without me.”
Despite the abrupt end to his stint with the team, Steiner accepted that Haas had every right to take the team in a different direction.
“In the end, you need to be respectful of the guy who owns everything,” he added. “He puts the money in. There’s a saying: ‘who pays decides’, and you have to agree with that one and then you cannot do anything. But I can decide for myself for my career as well.”
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
– The Motorsport.com Team
Share Or Save This Story
FIA happy for F1’s Macarena wings to stay, Red Bull had to do “more work”
“We need to put a limit on it” – Franco Colapinto opens up about online abuse in F1