Guenther Steiner (born 7 April 1965,[1]German: Günther[2][3]) is an Italian and American motorsport engineer and former team manager. Steiner was the Team Principal of HaasFormula One Team from 2016 to 2023, the managing director of Jaguar Racing from 2001 to 2003, and technical operations director of its subsequent incarnation, Red Bull Racing.
From January 1989 – 1990, Steiner worked as the assistant team manager for Top Run Srl. He acted as head of reconnaissance, and later as a technical manager, at Jolly Club from 1991 to 1996.
Steiner switched to Formula One in 2001 when Ford's official Formula One full-works team, Jaguar Racing, appointed him as their new team principal. Niki Lauda headhunted Steiner for the job of managing director.[1][5] According to Steiner, "[Lauda] asked, 'are there any talented people at Ford?' And the reply was 'there's Günther.' The guy lied!"[5] Assuming the role on 3 December, Steiner was responsible for the engineering side of the team at Milton Keynes, while the director of strategy John Allison handled administrative tasks.[6]
Steiner reorganised the team and reduced costs during his tenure.[1][7] However, Jaguar underperformed in the 2002 season,[8] with lead driver Eddie Irvine claiming only eight championship points while teammate Pedro de la Rosa failed to score,[9] and parent company Ford dismissed Lauda on 26 November before making 70 team members redundant.[8][10]
On 5 December, Jaguar announced Steiner had been replaced by project manager David Pitchforth as part of the restructuring. Spokesman Nav Sidhu said, "he has relinquished his responsibilities as MD but has done nothing wrong. This organisation is in significantly better shape now than when he joined. Günther has clearly laid down the engineering baseline that David will now aim to take on to the next level."[7]
After Red Bull purchased Jaguar Racing in November 2004,[12] Steiner was invited to join Red Bull Racing.[1]Opel's plans to withdraw from the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters at the end of 2005 motivated his return to the Milton Keynes team.[13][14][15] His appointment as technical operations director was confirmed on 13 January 2005.[1][16]
Steiner remained in Mooresville after leaving Red Bull, where he founded the manufacturing company Fibreworks Composites in January 2009.[1]
While the US F1 Team was in development, Steiner met Joe Custer and Gene Haas of Stewart-Haas Racing, who had declined to invest in the project, at a steakhouse. He proposed they themselves enter F1 by ordering a customer car from an established constructor, but delays in securing approval prompted them to apply for entry as a privateer team.[19][20] Steiner, described as "the prime 'doer'" by motorsport publication Autosport, recruited the core staff, interviewed every team member,[4] and developed partnerships with outsourcers Dallara and Ferrari.[21][22] On 14 April 2014, he was officially announced team principal of the fledgling Haas F1 Team.[22]
With their entry in the 2016 season, Haas became the first American constructor to compete in F1 in 30 years.[23] The team took eight points at the 2016 Australian Grand Prix with a 6th-place finish by driver Romain Grosjean, becoming the first American entry, and the first constructor overall since Toyota Racing in 2002, to score in their debut race.[24] Haas completed the season with an 8th-place finish in the 2016 constructor standings and 29 points, all scored by Grosjean.[25]
At Haas, Steiner became notable for his forthright personality, particularly for his appearances on the Netflix series Formula 1: Drive to Survive which featured him frequently swearing. In 2023 he released a book, Surviving to Drive: A year inside Formula 1, about his experiences.[26] In January 2024, it was announced that Haas had chosen not to renew Steiner's contract for the 2024 season. He was replaced by Ayao Komatsu, the team's former trackside engineering director.
[27]
In May 2024, it was reported that Steiner had sued Haas for non-payment of commissions that he was owed over several years and for continuing to sell merchandise featuring his name and image, as well as using him on Haas' official website without his authorisation.[28] A few days later, it was reported that Haas Automation, the parent company of Haas F1 Team, is suing Steiner and his publisher Ten Speed Press for trademark infringements in his Surviving to Drive autobiography.[29] In September, Haas Automation's lawsuit was dismissed by the court.[30]
As part of the promotional activities for the release of his second book, Steiner embarked on a tour of multiple venues in the United Kingdom with a live show, to be held between November 2024 and June 2025.[31]
F1 Commentator (2024–present)
In late February 2024, Steiner signed a contract with RTL, a German television channel who broadcast F1 in Germany, as a specialist commentator. He will attend the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix paddock and at least seven Grands Prix for the 2024 season.[32][33][34]
Personal life
Steiner holds Italian and American passports,[5] and lives in Mooresville, North Carolina, with his wife, Gertraud, and daughter.[1] Being a native of South Tyrol, he speaks German and Italian, along with English.
