Former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner says the TGR Haas F1 team rejected his plan to escape the back of the grid, claiming new ideas were not welcome before his 2023 departure. Speaking on the Aug. 17 episode of The High Performance Podcast, Steiner said:
“At Haas, having ideas wasn’t welcome. I had a plan, but they didn’t want to do it.”
The blunt assessment, later amplified in an X post, offered a sharper version of the split that ended his eight seasons in charge.
Guenther Steiner RAJA LO MÁS GRANDE de Haas, su antiguo equipo en F1 "En Haas no era bienvenido tener ideas. Tenía un plan pero no quisieron hacerlo" "No quería luchar cada año por lo mismo, por un punto. A día de hoy siguen luchando por lo mismo: un punto" … pic.twitter.com/UaBVoARVSb — Nachez (@Nachez98) August 16, 2026 Steiner said he had grown tired of battling for an occasional point and now believes he remained with Haas for two years too long. He also said he had lost faith in the team’s path to a podium. Still, Haas’s results since his exit make his criticism harder to accept without context. The ex-Haas chief’s dispute appears to have been about ambition as much as results. After leaving, he argued that Formula 1 had changed through the cost cap and greater investment in factories and technical facilities. His plan called for a different level of commitment from the owner, while Gene Haas favored getting more from the team’s existing model. What Guenther Steiner Wanted Haas to Change The largest proposal concerned Haas’ Banbury facility. Sky Sports F1 reported in January 2024 that Steiner believed the team had outgrown the factory and wanted to spend significantly on new equipment and expand its infrastructure. Gene Haas reportedly wanted to see stronger progress before committing that money. Haas’ former team boss later argued for an entirely new team factory. He believed a better working environment would help Haas recruit and retain technical staff as rival teams expanded their operations. Oct 22, 2022; Austin, Texas, USA; Haas Formula One Team engineer Guenther Steiner is interviewed before practice for the U.S. Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports Credit: USA TODAY Sports (Reuters) His plan also included newer machinery and software. Steiner argued that more efficient equipment could reduce production costs, while modern software could lower personnel expenses. The money saved could then be redirected toward developing the car within F1’s cost cap. A third concern was Haas’ operating model. The team entered F1 with a lean structure, buying permitted components from Ferrari and outsourcing its chassis production to Dallara. Steiner helped create that model, and it delivered a fifth-place finish in the 2018 constructors’ championship. He later felt it had become less effective under the cost cap as rivals invested in factories, tools, and technical departments. Ayao Komatsu got results without pricey upgrades Gene Haas saw the problem differently. When Steiner’s contract was not renewed, the team owner said the decision “came down to performance.” Haas had finished last in 2023 with 12 points and failed to earn a podium in more than 160 races. He believed the existing organization could achieve more under an engineering-focused team principal. The results provide some support for that view. Under Ayao Komatsu, Haas scored 58 points and finished seventh in 2024. It collected 79 points in 2025 and currently sits seventh in the 2026 standings. That improvement does not make Steiner’s proposals unnecessary. Haas remains without an F1 podium. The Italian Team Principal said he is happy to have moved on and is no longer associated with the American team.