Guenther Steiner has revealed he is “in no rush” to return to Formula 1 after Haas chose not to retain him as team principal beyond the end of the 2023 season.
Haas announced the shock news on Wednesday that Steiner's contract has not been extended, with the departure of the Italian, who has been with the team since its inception. Ayao Komatsu, formerly head of Trackside's engineering department, has been appointed as his replacement.
The Kannapolis-based team has declined since finishing fifth in the constructors' standings in 2018, and fell to the bottom of the championship with 12 points last year.
Steiner was said to have suggested the need for additional investment, while team owner Gene Haas wanted to improve “on-track performance” with the current model.
Speaking for the first time since his exit was announced, Steiner admitted it was “painful” not to have been given the opportunity to say goodbye to the team after being informed late last year.
“Can I start with something that suits me?” Steiner interrupted Sky F1 Commentator David Croft speaking on stage at the 2024 International Autosport Championship.
“I didn't have the chance to say thank you to a few people when I left Haas F1 Team.
“I would just like to thank all the team members who I wasn't able to say a proper farewell to when I left.
“So I'll do it this way. And I also want to say to all the fans who supported us while I was there, it's amazing – thank you to everyone for the support I've had and continue to receive, so I'm very grateful.”
“Yes, it hurt, but they all know me and they all know that I appreciate what they did. It's always nice to say that to them, it would be nice to say: 'Hey guys, thanks for what you did for the team.'
Guenther Steiner (ITA) Haas F1 Team Principal with Gene Haas (USA) President of Haas Automotion (right). 02.09.2023. Formula 1 World Championship, Route 15, Italian Grand Prix, Monza, Italy, qualifying day.
Steiner went on to add that he was partly surprised to receive the news via phone call, but acknowledged that Gene Haas could perform the operation as he saw fit.
While the 58-year-old doubled down on his reservations about the business model used by Haas in Formula 1, Steiner declared that he was not “really interested” in the team's prospects.
“Since we have this model, Formula 1 has changed a lot,” he admitted.
“We have seen during the coronavirus crisis how much it has grown. How different was it with the budget cap, and how we used the budget cap.
“If you look at all the other teams, they've all been preparing. They're not preparing now. They started preparing, about three years ago, a few years ago, some of them last year.
“I don't know what Gene Haas's plans are for the future. He didn't share them with me. By the way, he doesn't have to.
“I'm actually not interested in it anymore.”
Steiner also commented that he “can't answer” if the tire at Haas would provide a platform for Komatsu, previously at BAR and Lotus, to inspire improvement.
Meanwhile, speaking about his chances of returning to the sport in any capacity, Steiner revealed that he would not return to F1 to make up the numbers within the organisation.
“If Formula 1 wants me, I don't know!” Steiner answered when asked.
“In our case, I'm not in a rush, you know. There are always people who will see me in Formula 1; I've met a lot of people and made a lot of friends.
“If there's something interesting and challenging for me, then yes, but just looking for a job just to stay in Formula 1, that's probably not what I want.”
