Steiner gets new F1 job weeks after short phone call delivered Haas fate
Guenther Steiner will return to the F1 paddock as a pundit for German broadcast giants RTL.
It is a quick comeback for the Italian who was let go as team principal of Haas in early January. Disappointing seasons - including finishing rock bottom of the constructors' championship in 2023 - and poor performances led to his dismissal.
Steiner, who won over the hearts of many on Netflix's hit documentary series Drive To Survive, was the third-longest serving team principal prior to his exit. Red Bull's Christian Horner and Mercedes' Toto Wolff are the only two to have been in the job longer.
It is no surprise then perhaps to see a broadcaster snap the 58-year-old up. Programme director Inga Leschek described Steiner as a 'real character' when announcing the news.
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“With Guenther Steiner, we have succeeded in getting a long-standing manager and Formula 1 insider directly from the paddock in front of the RTL microphones, who will enrich our live broadcasts with up-to-date insights and plain language,” Leschek said.
Steiner also spoke on the news and added: “Formula 1 is competition at the highest level, on the racetrack and in the paddock. How are the drivers’ performances to be assessed and what does that mean for the organisations behind them? I’m looking forward to examining these processes with this strong on-air team and sharing my analysis of the racing action.”
Ayao Komatsu will take Steiner's place at Haas. The 47-year-old has worked under Steiner for many seasons and been a paddock regular for 20 years.
Guenther Steiner is moving on from Haas (Getty Images)In the statement confirming Steiner's departure, owner Gene Haas said: "I'd like to start by extending my thanks to Guenther Steiner for all his hard work over the past decade and I wish him well for the future.
"Moving forward as an organization it was clear we need to improve our on-track performances. In appointing Ayao Komatsu as team principal we fundamentally have engineering at the heart of our management.
"We have had some successes, but we need to be consistent in delivering results that help us reach our wider goals as an organization. We need to be efficient with the resources we have but improving our design and engineering capability is key to our success as a team.
"I'm looking forward to working with Ayao and fundamentally ensuring that we maximize our potential - this truly reflects my desire to compete properly in Formula 1."
While there was no official statement from Steiner at the time, he did later reveal the brutal nature of his dismissal came in the form of a short phone call. “He called me up,” Steiner told Autocar. “It was out of the blue. I was like: ‘Okay, what do you want to tell me?’
“He said: ‘I don’t want to extend the contract.’ I said: ‘In the end, it’s your decision. It’s your team and the contract is up. What can I do? Do I think it’s right or not? Whatever I say, you’ll disagree with it. So leave it at that.’
“It was a very short call; it wasn’t a big discussion or anything. It was also very strange. You work with somebody for 10 years and you get a call [like that]… It’s weird. I was okay. I just move on. It’s fine. Anyway, I couldn’t believe any more in what was happening there.”
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