Well known former F1 boss rejected multiple offers before picking new team

Franz Tost, Guenther Steiner, Christian Horner, generic — Photo: © IMAGO

Formula 1

Well known former F1 boss rejected multiple offers before picking new team

A former F1 boss has rejected several return offers

Originally written by Sheona Mountford. This version is a translation.

Sunday 14 September 2025 21:00

A former F1 boss has chosen his new racing venture, and turned down a number of his former rivals to do it.

A number of the sport's biggest personalities have left their teams in recent years for one reason or another, with Christian Horner and Guenther Steiner among those no longer in position.

Steiner was axed by Haas at the beginning of the 2024 season and replaced by Ayao Komatsu, but the Drive to Survive legend has recently announced the next stage of his motorsport career.

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The Italian will lead the Tech3 MotoGP squad, after a consortium led by Steiner took over the team from previous owner Herve Poncharal.

In 2026, Steiner will step up as the CEO of the Tech3 squad, with his business partner Richard Coleman acting as team principal.

“Guenther's had quite a few offers and bits and bobs in Formula 1, but we've both been in environments where we've had strained relationships with people we've worked with, and we just wanted to do something that was very much on our terms, that we had full control over," Coleman explained to Autosport.

Steiner swaps F1 for MotoGP

MotoGP will become the fourth motorsport series Steiner has worked in, starting his career as a mechanic in rallying, helping Red Bull launch their NASCAR team, and of course his stint as F1 team principal with Haas.

When asked why he did not target a return to F1, Steiner said: "Why not another project in Formula 1?

"First of all, I would say [MotoGP] is something I always looked at and never had time [for], and it was interesting.

“I think Formula 1 is at the stage [where] I've done it, I've been there long enough, so I [wanted to] do something new. I always like new challenges. I moved to the States to open up a NASCAR team when I was in Formula 1.

“Formula 1 is fantastic, but it's not the only thing you can do in motorsport. I always like challenges in my life to do something new because when we started, I thought, ‘do you think I can make this happen?’ And we made it happen.”

Formula 1 Guenther Steiner MotoGP