Analysis | We will miss comedic Steiner, but departure was inevitable

For viewers of Drive to Survive, the beginning of 2025 is going to take some getting used to. The popular Netflix series will have to do without Guenther Steiner. The Italian team boss was thanked by Haas F1 on Wednesday night for his services after ten years as a co-founder and steering the Haas team. While the timing of Steiner's sacking is surprising, barely two months before the start of the season, the departure certainly is not.

Haas' communications department typed a whole page, and only two sentences in the press release were devoted to Steiner. In the two sentences dedicated to the flamboyant boss, it was mainly the tone that stood out: cold and sharp. Gene Haas said of the man he worked intimately with for ten years: "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," the quote ended suddenly.

Haas and Steiner on a collision course

The relationship between Steiner and the wealthy Gene Haas had been muddled for some time and that is no secret. A main point of contention was that Steiner kept asking - including in the media - for more money from the big boss to improve the quality of the facilities. Gene Haas mainly wanted Steiner to better use the resources at his disposal.

There are internal squabbles in any company or organisation, so not always being on the same page shouldn't directly result in dismissal. To Steiner's disadvantage, no positive development was visible in the team's performance. In 2023, Haas clearly took another step backwards, resulting in a last place among the constructors. As it goes in top sports, the person ultimately responsible, in this case, Steiner, is then the person who is judged on it - although technical director Simone Resta also left earlier in the day.

Freedom or joy at Haas F1?

Since the entrance of Drive to Survive into the F1 paddock, the image of Haas F1 has changed dramatically. The question is whether that is the image Gene Haas wants. Those who watch the Netflix series get the impression that the team is one big mess, with a team leader who is constantly cursing and pulling crazy antics. For the viewer, it is hard to tell that Haas F1 is a multimillion-dollar company in one of the biggest sports in the world. Looking at Steiner in the series, the idea arises that it is freedom and happiness.

The insiders and regular F1 followers know better, and of course, hard work is being done within Haas for better times. Yet in recent years, Steiner has failed to show that he is the right man to get everything on track. Regular personnel changes have been at the top over the years, but they have continued to muddle along. Therefore, the man who leads and manages these people has to be looked at at some point. That moment has arrived.

Moreover, Haas F1 does not want to go down in history as the next Pacific F1, Theodore, Spirit or Tecno. Who? Indeed, yes. So, all in all, something had to happen to give Haas F1 something of a future in Formula 1 again. Because that much was clear: with Steiner at the helm, the sporting turnaround would fail to materialise, and the team's image would remain dubious. Although Steiner's jokes and antics will also be missed...