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Steiner’s 10-year reign, however, is over as owner Gene Haas has opted to axe one of F1’s most popular characters, making clear in promoting Ayao Komatsu that the team will now be more engineering-focused.
It is understood a fundamental disagreement between Haas and Steiner has led to a parting of the ways.
The man who set up the team to globally promote his Automation business, and successfully so, in fairness, feels he has ploughed enough into the team over the years to have achieved more than it has in recent times, and for the years ahead.
In contrast, Steiner made public last year that greater cohesion was required across a diverse three-pronged structure that included headquarters in Kannapolis, a factory in Banbury, and a technical department in Maranello, given its alliance with Ferrari, requiring steady investment.
It was highly noticeable in the team’s statement on the shock move there was not a word of praise for Steiner from Gene Haas, other than a simple thanks ‘for all his hard work’. Steiner was not afforded the opportunity to even say farewell in the release.
Haas without Steiner, who was the third longest-serving team principal in F1 before his departure, seems an unthinkable prospect.
Over the past 10 years, he was the face and driving force behind Haas as Gene preferred to take a backseat, doing so from the outset after his team was born in 2014 before taking its place on the F1 grid two years later.
The 58-year-old Italian was the man who convinced Haas to enter F1, doing so as a privateer and despite warnings as to the risks he was undertaking by then supremo Bernie Ecclestone.
Although Steiner was appointed as team principal in 2014, with the aim for the team to be on track the following year, Haas opted to delay his entry until 2016. It was a shrewd move as it ensured it was able to hit the ground running in becoming the first American outfit in F1 for 30 years.
From the outset, Steiner’s approach was no-nonsense, giving praise where it was due, but unashamed to air his forthright views if a situation demanded.
As Haas attempted to find its stride in F1, following a solid beginning as Romain Grosjean finished sixth on the team’s debut in the Australian Grand Prix, to some degree Steiner flew under the radar.
As Haas was not a frontrunner, conversely he was not in the spotlight as much as some of his peers over those first few years, such as Toto Wolff at Mercedes, Red Bull’s Christian Horner, and then Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene.
It was not until Netflix aired its smash-hit reality show ‘Drive to Survive’, with the first season appearing in March 2019 and reflecting on the 2018 campaign, that Steiner joined Wolff, Horner, et al at the forefront of the sport.
As the seasons wore on, Steiner’s popularity grew, endearing himself to fans with his no-holds-barred thoughts in front of the camera, and f-word bluntness when caught off it with a roving microphone.
Season two, in particular, was when Steiner arguably gained cult status, notably ripping into drivers Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean when the two collided into one another on the opening lap of the British Grand Prix.
It gave rise to perhaps the most (in)famous scene across the six seasons to date when Steiner refused to listen to the bickering between the duo as to who was at fault.
“I’ve f***ing had enough of both of you,” as the microphone listened in on what turned into a rant. “You let the f***ing team down, me down, (when) I protected you all the time.
“I’m not f***ing going into who is right and who is wrong. I don’t want to hear ‘he moved this, he moved that’ and all that f***ing wank.
“Gene spends 100 f***ing million of his own f***ing money which f***ing wants to pull the plug and (you) let everybody down because you are two f***ing idiots?
“I’ve no more to fucking say to you guys and if you don’t like it I don’t need you here. Do not come back, please.”
At that point, Magnussen stormed out of Steiner’s office, slamming a door as he exited, prompting Steiner to chase after him in the paddock. “He’s not f***ing doing that to me,” he stated, before giving rise to a quote that has since made it onto t-shirts. “He does not f*** smash my door.”
He added: “I don’t know where he is but he can f*** off, I told him. Both of them. F***ing hell. We have got two f***ing idiots driving for us. This is not acceptable and we will make changes. If it would be my decision now I would sack them both.”
It was pure gold yet Steiner did not embrace the notoriety for which he became famed, although it has to be said that more than others in his position, he recognised what was required of him, and as F1’s popularity soared, he was prepared to give something back.
In essence, that scene at Silverstone, though, was a snapshot of the difficulties Steiner faced throughout his tenure at Haas, primarily operating on a tight budget imposed upon him, resulting in the development of under-performing cars.
Although instrumental in recruiting chassis developer Dallara and power unit supplier Ferrari, the team, under Steiner’s leadership, struggled to manufacture a competitive product.
Sadly for Haas and Steiner, 2018 and its fifth place in the constructors’ championship that year was a false dawn as the team then finished ninth, ninth, 10th, eighth, and 10th, over the last five seasons.
It is now apparent that last season was the final straw for Gene Haas and Steiner, with the former’s comments regarding the latter’s exit enough to convey where he feels the focus should now be.
“Moving forward as an organisation it was clear we need to improve our on-track performances,” he said. “In appointing Ayao, we fundamentally have engineering at the heart of our management.
“We need to be efficient with the resources we have but improving our design and engineering capability is key to our success as a team.”
The press release stated that ‘Komatsu will take responsibility for the team’s overall strategy, and ultimately on-track performance, with a brief to maximise the team’s potential through employee empowerment, structural process and efficiency’.
That is telling, with the inference being that Steiner lacked the engineering nous to instill confidence in those under him, to direct and, in particular, empower his team to be bold and creative with ideas, despite the financial straitjacket that had to be worn.
In fairness to Steiner, and as one Haas insider pointed out to me last season, he was effectively carrying the team, doing the job of three or four people, as he would have enviously witnessed up and down the paddock at rival teams.
The irony is that Haas will soon be announcing the appointment of a chief operating officer to support Komatsu. How Steiner could have done with such a person during his time in charge to help share the load.
On reflection, Steiner gave his heart and soul to Haas but in a results-driven business, and regardless of his larger-than-life character, he has paid the price for failing to agree a way forward with his boss, and voicing his thoughts on the matter.
You have no doubt, however, that given his credibility within the paddock, he will be back in some capacity, sooner rather than later.
