Günther Steiner is no longer the director of Haas F1 since January 1st, as his contract was not renewed. But this is not the first time the Italian has faced an eviction from a Formula 1 team. Christian Horner recounted the time he orchestrated Steiner’s departure from Red Bull, for exactly the same reason cited for his departure from Haas: he is not a technical leader.
Long before being shown the exit door of the American team by Gene Haas, Steiner was part of the Red Bull formation in Formula 1 after the company acquired the already existing Jaguar F1 team.
Christian was appointed team director after successive meetings with Helmut Marko and Red Bull co-owner Dietrich Mateschitz.
Horner had founded and managed the Arden team in Formula 3000 in the late 1990s, racing for them before the end of his own driving career – becoming owner and team director at the age of 25.
Horner’s Rise, Steiner’s Shift in F1
Horner had discussions with Eddie Jordan about buying his Silverstone team as he looked for a way into Formula 1, but these talks did not progress. This coincided with Red Bull’s confirmation of its future involvement in Formula 1.
“I was figuring out how to take Arden into F1. Bernie Ecclestone was pushing me towards the Jordan team. But things were dragging with Eddie Jordan. So Helmut invited me to meet Dietrich in Salzburg in the summer of 2004. The deal with Jordan didn’t happen, and Red Bull bought Jaguar. Dietrich invited me again at the end of 2004 and asked me to be the team leader.”
At that time, Horner became the youngest team director in Formula 1 and has been the only person to always lead Red Bull in this sport.
Steiner Out, Newey In: F1 Strategy
But with Steiner in a technical role at Red Bull, he eventually made way a year later for the arrival of Adrian Newey – who had already designed six world champion F1 cars (in the Constructors’ Championship) by that time.
It was a deliberate decision on Horner’s part, as he acknowledged he wanted to move the team forward.
“Günther was and is still a character, but it was clear that he was not a technical leader.”
“I identified what the team really needed, which was technical leadership and direction. So, very early on, I was keen on bringing Adrian to our team.”
Günther then led the newly created Team Red Bull in NASCAR, before taking the role of team director at Haas F1 from 2014 as they prepared to enter the sport in 2016.
Steiner Evictions Red Bull Haas f1 team evictions from both teams. Steiner Evictions Red Bull Haas f1 team evictions from both teams.
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