Steiner: Leaving Red Bull was 'best thing that happened'
Guenther Steiner reflects that leaving Red Bull F1 was the best decision of his life, as it led him to the U.S., where he built a business and connected with Gene Haas to found the Haas F1 team. He details the crucial endorsements from F1 legends needed to convince Bernie Ecclestone and admits he wishes he had secured an ownership stake given the sport's financial boom.
Guenther Steiner says his departure from the Red Bull Formula 1 team was the pivotal moment that unlocked his career, leading him to the United States and ultimately to founding the Haas F1 team. He credits the move with allowing him to build a successful business and connect with the American investor, Gene Haas, which would have been impossible had he remained in Europe.
Why it matters:
Steiner's journey from a technical operations director at a top team to a team principal who built a new constructor from scratch highlights the non-linear paths to success in F1. His story underscores the importance of cultural understanding and local networks in securing the massive investment required to launch a team, a lesson that remains relevant as F1 continues its global expansion.
The details:
- Steiner joined Red Bull Racing in 2005 as technical operations director after the energy drink company purchased Jaguar.
- The arrival of design chief Adrian Newey in 2006 created a crowded technical leadership, prompting Steiner's transition to head Red Bull's NASCAR project in the United States.
- He describes this as his "lucky moment," as it fulfilled a personal ambition to live in the U.S. and allowed him to establish his own composite materials company, which now employs 300 people.
- This U.S. base was critical for meeting Gene Haas and understanding American business culture, which he believes was essential to securing the investment to start an F1 team.
The big picture:
The most significant hurdle to launching Haas F1 was convincing then-F1 commercial boss Bernie Ecclestone, who was skeptical of new team applications. Steiner revealed he succeeded only with heavyweight endorsements from the late Niki Lauda, former Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali, then-FIA president Jean Todt, and former FIA technical director Charlie Whiting. Their collective belief in Steiner's capability and Haas's financial backing ultimately won Ecclestone over, making Haas the only successful new team from that era.
What's next:
While Steiner's tenure as Haas team principal ended after the 2023 season, he reflects on the team's journey with one professional regret. He admits that, knowing how much F1 team values would skyrocket to billions of dollars within a few years, he would have sought an ownership stake in the operation. However, he acknowledges he lacked the personal capital at the time to make that a reality.