Guenther Steiner v Haas: Huge F1 legal verdict delivered as case hits the courtroom

Photo: © IMAGO

Haas

Huge F1 legal verdict REVEALED as Steiner v Haas hits the courtroom

The star of Netflix's popular F1 documentary is caught up in a legal battle

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Friday 27 September 2024 17:00

A judge has delivered their verdict on the legal battle between Drive to Survive star Guenther Steiner and his former Formula 1 employer, Haas.

Steiner was the team principal of the Haas F1 outfit from 2016 until 2023 and is now caught up in a legal row with his former team.

Steiner rose to fame after his appearances in Drive to Survive exposed his quirky personality and bold attitude as the team's chief, delivering some of the show's most iconic quotes.

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Earlier this year, it was revealed that Steiner had left the F1 outfit ahead of the 2024 season after discussions with team owner Gene Haas, but the Italian has been present at a number of race weekends since, often performing media duties.

However, in recent months, the Italian has been busy with multiple legal cases against former employer Haas Automation, with the first court verdict now delivered.

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Guenther Steiner v Haas

Haas claimed they had not consented to these trademarked images being used and that Steiner was doing so for 'personal financial gain and illicit profit'.

As reported by RacingNews365, court documents surrounding the case state that the book "details Steiner’s experience as Team Principal of the Haas F1 Team" and this this "Necessarily requires him to mention the Haas name" as is the case in many other sports autobiographies.

Guenther Steiner faces further legal disputes with his former team

The verdict was delivered by United States District Court Judge André Birotte Jr., who stated neither Steiner nor the publisher "use the Haas marks as a source-identifying mark".

"Using photos that include the Haas Marks is an artistic choice to provide additional context about the 2022 season with the Haas F1 Team," the Judge said.

"While there’s an argument the photo on the cover implicitly suggests endorsement or sponsorship, there is no explicitly misleading statement or suggestion by way of the Haas marks."

The case against Steiner was then dismissed along with the complaint.

A second court case between Steiner and Haas is ongoing, however, after their former principal alleged that Haas violated its employment agreement.8

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