Audacious poaching attempt to land Red Bull star revealed

A former Formula 1 team boss has revealed that he tried signing one of Red Bull's current drivers during his time in the sport.

Guenther Steiner was team principal at Haas from 2016 onwards before his sudden exit ahead of the 2024 season.

F1 HEADLINES: Vettel linked with shock RETURN as Perez 'out' of Red Bull

READ MORE: F1 ‘not happy’ with Silverstone as at-risk tracks discussed

Since his departure from the sport, Steiner has been doing a mix of television and punditry work and has not been afraid to offer strong opinions on current affairs within the paddock.

However, Steiner's latest revelation is even more intriguing, revealing he missed out on bringing a big name to Haas during his time with the team.

Sergio Perez was on Haas’ radar

Steiner has confessed that he tried to bring Red Bull star Sergio Perez to Haas and had discussions with the Mexican over a move.

Whilst Steiner admits he isn't a top-tier driver, he explains why he felt Perez would have been an excellent fit for his former team.

“He [Perez] was a good driver at the time,” Steiner explained via RacingNews365.

“His behaviour in the team was very good, he got on with people, which is always important. He was just a solid driver.

“Maybe he was not a race winner or a championship-winning driver, but at Haas, we couldn’t ask someone of Lewis Hamilton’s class to come and join.

“But Checo was a potential candidate when we were doing well, so that’s what I saw in him.”

Shock at Perez’s Red Bull survival

Elsewhere in the podcast, Steiner admitted that he was taken aback by Red Bull’s decision to retain Perez for the remainder of the season, despite the Mexican driver’s poor run of form.

Perez has scored just 28 points in the last seven races, a streak that has raised serious concerns within the Red Bull camp.

Despite having a contract through 2024, there were widespread rumours that Perez might be replaced following the summer break.

“I said live on German TV – ‘I don’t think we will see Checo back after the summer break,’” Steiner added.

“But I think 90 per cent of people in Formula 1 said that, if not more, because his performance is just not there.

“All the messages we got from Christian and Helmut over the weekend were like, ‘We need to make some changes'.

“I was as surprised as you guys when I read it. Nothing against Checo, but he just didn’t perform.”

READ MORE: Las Vegas Grand Prix issues HUGE F1 race weekend announcement

Related

More F1 news

Latest F1 news

F1 Results Today: Bahrain Grand Prix practice times and positions from Malaysia

• Yesterday 10:59

Lewis Hamilton on brink of penalty heading into Bahrain Grand Prix

• Yesterday 09:43

Max Verstappen to step away from F1 for GT return

• October 1, 2026 16:55

Christian Horner in Ferrari U-turn as Lewis Hamilton reveals fight with bosses - F1 News Today

• October 1, 2026 06:55

F1 star admits hiding major injury after 'stupid' punch

• September 30, 2026 19:45

F1 star who beat all the odds is OUT as official statement confirms 2027 driver change

• September 30, 2026 10:20