Guenther Steiner opens up on Drive to Survive impact on Haas decision

F1 News & Gossip

Steiner opens up on Drive to Survive impact on Haas decision

The long-serving team principal left the team this month

Chris Deeley

Friday 19 January 2024 02:57

Guenther Steiner has admitted that his fame from Drive to Survive could have had an impact on his departure from Haas earlier this month.

The popular former team boss was let go over the phone between Christmas and the New Year by owner Gene Haas, with the official announcement coming more than a week later.

However, Steiner insisted that the attention he received from the hit Netflix series was actually good for the team, claiming that the team gained huge sponsors as a result.

The 58-year-old had been the only team principal in Haas' history until last week, when he was officially replaced by Ayao Komatsu.

Guenther Steiner was one of the biggest personalities in the F1 paddock before his departuer

Steiner remains popular among F1 fans for his outspokenness and frequent f-bombs

Steiner: Fame wasn't important to me

Steiner was asked at the Autosport International Show whether Drive to Survive had anything to do with Gene Haas' decision not to renew his contract (per Speedweek), and the former Red Bull technical director didn't confirm or deny the idea.

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“Perhaps that played a role, but the fact is - Haas benefited enormously from this popularity. This made contact with donors such as MoneyGram possible.

"It was never about becoming famous for me. The people who know me know that it's not that important to me. I didn't get up in the morning thinking about becoming famous. I got up to go to work."

Haas Drive to Survive Guenther Steiner Ayao Komatsu Gene Haas