It was announced last week that Steiner had departed the American outfit after 10 years of leading them, with the option having been taken by owner Gene Haas not to extend his contract.

Some reported that Steiner had been fired, when actually his contract came to an end at the conclusion of 2023.

Several details of his departure were revealed by himself last weekend, during an appearance at Autosport International.

Want to work in Formula 1? Browse the latest F1 job vacancies

Steiner revealed that the team’s owner informed him that he wasn’t being offered a new contract during an “out of the blue” phone call, which took place between Christmas and New Year.

Already, Haas has confirmed that Steiner will be replaced by the side’s trackside engineering director Ayao Komatsu, who has never led an F1 team.

As to when Steiner will next be seen in the F1 paddock is unknown, especially given Autosport’s report that the Italian is “under an anti-competition signing arrangement”.

It’s not been confirmed by Steiner or Haas if such a thing is currently in place; however, the theory has emerged after he admitted that if he were to be offered a job in the paddock to start “this week”, he wouldn’t be allowed to accept it.

“While not on gardening leave following his Haas exit, given his contract was not renewed rather than terminated, Steiner is thought currently to be under an anti-competition signing arrangement, which can temporarily be put in place,” Autosport report.

“This differs to the non-working situations F1 team staff can be placed in when they’ve agreed to sign for another team before leaving their current squad.

“This is why when asked if in a hypothetical situation where Christian Horner was to offer him a return to Red Bull this week and could he therefore accept such an offer, Steiner replied: “No.”

The anti-competing clause has not been confirmed by either side.”

What Steiner will get up to next is massively unknown, although he’s not planning on rushing into anything, with him feeling “chilled” about the current situation.

READ: Max Verstappen beating Red Bull in a McLaren ‘impossible’

He accepts that it’s ultimately the owner’s decision and his right to do whatever he wants with Steiner, something the ex-boss completely accepts.

“In the end, the contract was up and for me it’s like it always was: ‘if it doesn’t work, just let me know’. I’m not hung on anything,” Steiner told Autosport.

“Gene Haas owns the team and obviously has got the right to decide what he wants to do. Simple as this. If he doesn’t want me around, I’m not [around]. That’s alright, let’s move on. I’m not running and in a rush for the next job – I’m chilled.”

The post Guenther Steiner banned from Formula 1 appeared first on Formula1News.co.uk.

It was announced last week that Steiner had been fired as Haas’ team principal, with him having been immediately replaced by Ayao Komatsu, who was the American side’s trackside engineering director.

Steiner had led Haas from the very beginning of their time on the Formula 1 grid back in 2016, but recent results haven’t gone in his favour.

Haas finished bottom of the 2023 Constructors’ Championship thanks to a car which simply burnt through its tyres too quickly, resulting in Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg rarely being able to push.

Want to work in Formula 1? Browse the latest F1 job vacancies

Both were exceptional in qualifying last year but that was because Haas’ 2023 challenger simply got its tyres up to temperature quicker than any other car.

Another issue seemingly for Steiner is his recent rise to stardom, following Netflix’s F1 docuseries ‘Drive to Survive’.

Steiner has become a fan favourite as a result of the series, with Haas having previously released special merchandise using some of the ex-team principal’s famous quotes.

According to Marko, Steiner tried to “convert his popularity into shares” in Haas, something owner Gene Haas seemingly wasn’t happy about.

“Let’s put it this way: Anyone who becomes too popular through a documentary like Netflix tends to take off. But if you fly too high too quickly, you will fall more quickly,” Marko told F1 Insider.

“All I heard was that he wanted to convert his popularity into shares in the team. And owner Gene Haas didn’t like that anymore. It is also the case in our sport that the team always comes before the individual. Steiner became a victim of his popularity.”

Disappointingly for Steiner, he was rejected the chance to say goodbye to the team, although he’e ensuring that he remains “very chilled” about the entire saga.

He’s not planning on rushing back into work anytime soon, unless “something interesting comes along”.

READ: Sergio Perez given Red Bull exit route

“Now at the moment, I’m very chilled out about the situation,” Steiner said, as reported by The Express. “I’m not unhappy and I know a lot of people, I’ve got a lot of friends and for me just hanging around for a year doing the odd job, that does it for me.

“If something interesting comes along which challenges me, yes, but just staying in Formula 1 just to do a job, maybe is not what I want to do. I like to be with people but it needs to be something where I can see a future in it.

“I don’t just want to go there and then move on to the next thing. I want to do something where you can achieve something and you try to get somewhere and then I will do it.”

The post Helmut Marko fires brutal shot at sacked Guenther Steiner appeared first on Formula1News.co.uk.

It’s been a busy week for Haas, as the side prepare for the upcoming 2024 Formula 1 season.

There will be a fresh feel to the side who finished last in the Constructors’ Championship last year, given the number of high-profile departures this week.

Resta is the latest to depart with him being linked with a possible move to Sauber, ahead of the team’s merge with Audi in 2026 when the new power unit regulations are introduced.

Want to work in Formula 1? Browse the latest F1 job vacancies

It’s also a possibility that Resta might return to Ferrari, with Formula1.com reporting that he is going to go back to the Italian manufacturer but not the F1 team.

Resta joined Haas on loan from Ferrari in 2021, with the termination of his loan being why he’s departing Gene Haas’ team.

There is certainly more known about Resta’s future than Steiner’s, who was reportedly banned from saying goodbye to the team following his abrupt exit.

The team’s owner had very little to say about Steiner when announcing his axing, whilst current drivers Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg both thanked him.

“Thanks, Guenther,” Magnussen posted on Instagram. “Thanks for taking me on the journey in 2017 and thanks for bringing me on board again in 2022.

It has been both fun and tremendously challenging – but never boring. So long and all the best.”

Hulkenberg actually has a lot to thank Steiner for, given that if it wasn’t for the ex-Haas boss offering him Mick Schumacher’s seat for 2023, he’d likely still be a reserve driver.

READ: Mohammed Ben Sulayem opens up on Lewis Hamilton drama

“Thanks, Guenther,” Hulkenberg wrote on Instagram. “For your trust, friendship and the opportunity to go racing in F1 again! You’re definitely a character… all the best!”

Prior to being given a lifeline by Haas for the 2023 season, Hulkenberg had sat on the reserves bench at Racing Point and then Aston Martin, from 2020 to 2022.

It’s certainly very rare for a driver of Hulkenberg’s age to be off the grid for three seasons, before being given a full-time seat back on the grid.

The post Haas departures continue as Ferrari technical director follows Guenther Steiner appeared first on Formula1News.co.uk.

Leclerc put up no fight for the title in 2023, mostly due to a mixture of poor performances and a bad car in the first half of the season.

Ferrari’s pace was wildly inconsistent for the bulk of the recently completed campaign, before they made some progress in the latter stages.

2023 was weaker than Leclerc’s 2022 campaign, where he took the fight to Verstappen for the vast majority of the season.

Want to work in Formula 1? Browse the latest F1 job vacancies

In Leclerc’s defence, nobody seriously challenged the Red Bull driver in 2023, with Verstappen having won the title by a huge 290 points over Sergio Perez.

To put Verstappen’s ridiculous advantage into some context, 290 points is the equivalent of 11 wins and a third-place finish.

Despite how easily the Dutchman won the recent season, Steiner thinks the 26-year-old will be challenged in 2024, with Lewis Hamilton always being a contender.

“I think somebody will challenge Red Bull and Max [Verstappen] next year I would say,” Steiner told Sky Sports F1.

“I think that we will have that one in 2024, for me Lewis [Hamilton], I don’t think he will stop.

“I mean physically you would never think that he’s 38 or next year 39, you would never think that’s, he’s very fit.

“I don’t think he’s ready to stop doing it because I think he likes what he does.

If someone can beat Verstappen to the 2024 Drivers’ Championship or in 2025, Steiner wants it to be Leclerc due to his own “self-interest”.

READ: Toto Wolff admits Mercedes forced to change pit-stop ‘mindset’

The Haas boss recognises that if Leclerc won the championship, then it means Ferrari must’ve had an exceptional package, something which would benefit Haas as a customer side of the Italians.

“Who succeeds Max as champion, either next year or in another year?” Sky F1 journalist Craig Slater asked Steiner.

Steiner replied: “I hope Charles [Leclerc] because that means they’ve got a good package and then we have got a good package as well, that’s my self-interest!”

The post Guenther Steiner makes Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen prediction appeared first on Formula1News.co.uk.

It was confirmed last weekend during the Brazilian Grand Prix that Haas had lodged a ‘right of review’ of the 2023 US GP results, due to having proof that some drivers weren’t penalised for exceeding track limits.

Turn 6 at the Circuit of the Americas is believed to be where the issue is, as some discovered onboard footage does show drivers like Perez cutting the corner several times.

Under the FIA’s rules, Perez should’ve technically been given a time penalty for exceeding the track at Turn 6 as often as he did, something which could still happen after the FIA hear Haas’ evidence.

Want to work in Formula 1? Browse the latest F1 job vacancies

An FIA hearing over the matter is taking place on Wednesday, with Haas, Williams, Aston Martin and Red Bull to be present.

The governing body have admitted to not having the data available to them during the recent US GP to check track limits at every corner, which has arguably resulted in the latest drama.

If the FIA agree with Haas’ evidence and penalise drivers as a result, then Nico Hulkenberg could be bumped up from P11 into the points.

On the flip side, Perez could be dropped from fourth, which would see his 32-point advantage over Lewis Hamilton shrink.

Haas will presumably be hoping that Williams are also slapped with a time penalty, given that Alex Albon and Logan Sargeant finished ninth and 10th.

With the bottom of the Constructors’ Championship being so close, every point is vital for Haas.

Steiner can understand that the FIA weren’t able to penalise drivers for cutting Turn 6 as they didn’t have the “correct information”; however, he stresses that they will be shown “clear evidence”.

READ: Toto Wolff ‘lacking words’ after ‘inexcusable performance’

“There are rules,” Steiner said, as reported by The Express.

“If the stewards do not have the correct information, then of course they cannot intervene. We completely understand that. However, now we have the information and we will see what the FIA ​​does once they have that information at their disposal.

“I completely understand that they have not seen the images yet, but if that is the case, how can they make a decision with certainty? However, now we have clear evidence.”

The post FIA to be given ‘clear evidence’ against Red Bull appeared first on Formula1News.co.uk.

Mayer recently made an appearance on the F1 Nation podcast where he discussed how Steiner is an individual not to be messed with, although he does also have a light-hearted side to him.

Steiner has somewhat become a bit of a Formula 1 superstar thanks to ‘Drive to Survive’, as he’s become a fan favourite.

His explicit rants went down a storm with viewers, to the point that merchandise was made based around the team boss himself.

Want to work in Formula 1? Browse the latest F1 job vacancies

The Haas team principal’s fiery personality is certainly unique but that has proven to make for excellent television.

Whilst it might come across great on the TV, Mayer has admitted that it’s not enjoyable to be on the receiving end of it.

This was the case earlier in the year at the Monaco Grand Prix, where Mayer was the steward, meaning he got Steiner’s full rage after Nico Hulkenberg was slapped with a time penalty.

“What a character he is,” Mayer told the F1 Nation podcast.

“I can tell you, you do not want to cross him in the stewards’ room!

“I’ve had it full bore from him in Monaco! I was the steward there.

“I don’t get mad at him when he’s swearing at me and calling me all kinds of names in the stewards’ room.

“I just have to remind myself it’s all passion.”

As mentioned, Steiner isn’t always fiery, with him having proven this last weekend at the United States Grand Prix.

Mayer revealed that the Haas boss met all the marshals at the Circuit of the Americas ahead of the Grand Prix, where he spent “nearly an hour” talking with them and signing autographs.

“Thursday, off his own back, he went up to meet all the marshals,” Mayer revealed.

READ: FIA steward admits their ‘biggest mistake ever’ led to Lewis Hamilton anger

“He spent nearly an hour with the marshals up there.

“Just absolutely wonderful, signed autographs, made jokes. He was just absolutely fantastic.

“The marshals volunteer, they put in their hard work. And it’s been quite a huge thing for him to come out and see all those people. Makes a big difference.”

The post Guenther Steiner described as team boss ‘you do not want to cross’ appeared first on Formula1News.co.uk.

The issues have raised concerns about the safety of the upcoming races.

The FIA’s announcement on Saturday revealed that tyre problems had emerged following a single hour of practice held the day before. 

To address the situation, new track limits rules have been enforced to discourage drivers from running on kerbs at two particular corners, which are believed to have contributed to the tyre issues. 

Want to work in Formula 1? Browse the latest F1 job vacancies

The start of the sprint race qualifying session has been delayed to provide drivers with an extra 10 minutes of practice to adapt to the new rules.

Additional changes are being considered for the upcoming grand prix, including the possibility of mandating a minimum of three pit stops for all drivers and implementing a maximum stint length of 20 laps.

Gunther Steiner expressed his frustration at the unfolding situation, calling it a “concerning thing for the future.” 

He stated, “It shouldn’t happen. 

“This should not happen in Formula 1. 

“But it has, and now we need to see how we get out of it. 

“I think the good thing with this coming out, there are solutions for this race weekend, but going forward, this shouldn’t happen again.”

“In the end, it is embarrassing because this is not where we should be,” Steiner added, highlighting the unexpected nature of the issue.

This weekend’s event marks Formula 1’s second visit to the Losail International Circuit, with its previous race taking place in 2021. 

During that race, several drivers experienced tyre failures attributed to the circuit’s kerbs. 

In response, the track underwent extensive refurbishments, and new kerbs were installed to prevent a recurrence of the problem.

Gunther Steiner acknowledged the efforts made to address the issue, saying, “There were some signs already here two years ago, we had issues but they were different kerbs. 

“I think they were supposed to develop some kerbs which don’t damage the tyres, but apparently the kerbs we have developed they damage the tyres.”

While the white line defining the track’s edge is being repositioned at turns 12 and 13 to keep drivers away from the problematic kerbs, concerns persist that other sections of the high-speed circuit may still pose risks to the tyres. 

Steiner emphasised the need for proactive measures to ensure safety.

“At least they are proactively doing something for tomorrow and now going out changing some of the track limits that we are not going over these kerbs should help a little bit,” Steiner commented. 

“But I don’t know if that sorts the problem because it wasn’t clear to me.”

He continued, “They are doing three corners; the track limits will be changed so we don’t go on the kerbs. 

READ: Red Bull warn Sergio Perez about Lewis Hamilton amid ‘handicap’

“But I don’t know if it is only those kerbs or other ones as well. 

“I think they don’t know as much as they would like to know; otherwise, it wouldn’t have ended up in this place. 

“So I think that for safety reasons, for sure, if they see any risk of having flat tyres, they will have a maximum running of the tyres of 20 laps is my understanding tomorrow for the proper race.”

The post Guenther Steiner ’embarrassed’ at 2023 Qatar GP appeared first on Formula1News.co.uk.

The American side are using the F2 driver to comply with the regulation that every team must field a driver yet to start two F1 races in two FP1 sessions every season, something which gives young talent essential experience in the pinnacle of single-seater motorsport.

As well as being an F2 driver, Bearman is also part of the Ferrari Driver Academy, something that the likes of Charles Leclerc was part of when he was racing in junior categories.

Mercedes reserve driver Mick Schumacher was also part of Ferrari’s programme, before he left at the end of 2022 to join the Silver Arrows.

Want to work in Formula 1? Browse the latest F1 job vacancies

The British driver certainly deserves his shot in Haas’ VF-23, as he’s enjoyed a brilliant maiden F2 campaign.

Bearman currently finds himself sixth in the F2 Drivers’ Championship with just the final round in Abu Dhabi remaining, whilst he’s also a race winner this season.

The Prema driver has won four races in total in 2023, with his highlight having been winning both the sprint race and the feature race in Azerbaijan.

The 18-year-old being given Haas’ two young driver FP1 slots is a clear indicator of just how much belief Ferrari have in the young driver, who is one to watch out for in the future.

Haas team principal Guenther Steiner is “very happy” to be using Bearman for the two FP1 sessions in Mexico and Abu Dhabi, with him noting how “stellar” the driver has done in his first F2 campaign.

READ: Will Red Bull have 4 cars in F1 in 2024?

“We’re very happy to offer Oliver these outings in Mexico and Abu Dhabi,” said Steiner.

“He’s had a stellar rookie season in Formula 2, four wins is testament to that, and as part of the Ferrari Driver Academy – we know his background preparation coming into these weekends will be first-rate. We look forward to welcoming Oliver into the team and have him drive the VF-23.”

With so many contracts in F1 expiring at the end of 2024, Bearman might be having his eyes on one of the Haas seats for 2025, something which could certainly be on the cards.

The post Breaking: Haas announce Ferrari driver appeared first on Formula1News.co.uk.

It was recently announced that all teams had been given a certificate of compliance for keeping within the 2022 budget cap, something which has been praised throughout the paddock.

The results of the 2022 budget cap were announced much sooner than they were 12 months ago, when it was confirmed that Red Bull had breached the 2021 cap by $432,000 once a tax issue was cleared with His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

The Austrians were slapped with a $7 million fine and were given a 10% reduction in their allotted wind tunnel time for 12 months.

Want to work in Formula 1? Browse the latest F1 job vacancies

For the sake of Formula 1’s sporting integrity, the championship desperately needed all 10 teams to be found not guilty of breaching the 2022 cap, something which, thankfully, happened.

Steiner congratulated the FIA for conducting their financial investigations in a better manner, with the Haas boss having praised the teams and the governing body for working better together.

“Fair play to Federico [Lodi, Single-Seater Financial Regulations Director] because when he started, he didn’t know what he was getting into, how complex [the rules] are,” Steiner told media including RacingNews365.com.

“You need to step up and the teams stepped up to give better information, and it is just a more mature process now from both sides, which helps to make it better.”

Additional checks were completed by the FIA prior to announcing the results of the 2022 budget cap, which included investigating whether some teams were using other departments as a loophole around the budget cap.

Wolff was pleased to see every side “checked thoroughly” by the governing body, with the Mercedes team principal noting that everyone can “get on” with their jobs now.

“The result was that all teams got the certificate of compliance and in that respect, that’s good to know,” said Wolff.

“It seems everybody has been checked thoroughly, and all possible ideas in the background have disappeared because they got the carte blanche, or the ones that were maybe suspected to not have passed it.

“We just need to get on with the rest now.”

Shutting loopholes has clearly been something on the FIA’s agenda, as they recently introduced Technical Directive 045 to stop the use of flexi-wings.

Brown is hopeful that the new TD will also stop future loopholes from being exploited and believes that all teams sticking to the cost cap will bunch the field up.

READ: ‘Waiting with a lot of money’: Logan Sargeant warned of two massive threats

“With TD045, there was a reason why that was put in place, and so hopefully that will close any additional loopholes,” Brown said.

“Everyone passed this year, which is good for Formula 1. Formula 1 teams try to be as clever as possible. And hopefully, TD045 is something that will close any loopholes that may have still been existing.

“I think the cost cap was always going to be a bit of a learn-as-you-go.”

The post 3 F1 bosses issue statement on budget cap after Red Bull scandal appeared first on Formula1News.co.uk.

It was contemplated by the American team during pre-season testing in 2022 that the side needed to upgrade their garage, something they did ahead of the recent Asian double-header.

Haas introduced a new garage layout at the Singapore Grand Prix and then used it again at the Japanese Grand Prix, with their consoles now being found in the middle of the garage, where an engineering island can be found.

The upgrades were overseen by race team operations leader Peter Wright, team manager Peter Crolla, senior indirect buyer Sam O’Gorman and director of marketing Mark Morrell, and reportedly cost Haas a seven-figure sum.

Want to work in Formula 1? Browse the latest F1 job vacancies

Remarkably, it’s the first time since the team joined F1 in 2015 that they’ve upgraded their garage, with team principal Guenther Steiner having admitted that it was getting to a point where it was like putting “lipstick on a pig”.

Steiner noted that it was about time Haas upgraded their garage, with it having been in need of change.

“It was the same one from the beginning,” Steiner told The Race.

“But if you look at the garages, there is not a lot of evolution anymore. People normally keep it for five, six years.

“Then they just get tired, you need to repair them, you need to paint them every year.

“At some stage, you just need to change it.”

The upgrade has made Haas’ garage look more similar to the rest of the paddock, with it being a case of “monkey see, monkey do”.

Steiner insists he’s usually against following trends, but that he was all for the upgraded garage if it means the team’s on-track performance improved.

“In F1, some things go by trend,” Steiner said. “It’s like monkey see, monkey do. ‘Everybody else did that, so I need to do it as well.’

READ: Why Mercedes are alarmed by Ferrari

“I’m normally against it. I don’t really care where the consoles are as long as they work, because for me it’s more the efficiency – if you pay for it in a year or two, you see it’s an investment.

“I don’t want to be the trendiest guy [if] it doesn’t make us quicker.”

Whilst Haas have upgraded their garage, they still have a major car development to introduce before the end of the season, something which could see them take the fight to Williams for P7.

The post Why Haas have stopped putting ‘lipstick on a pig’ appeared first on Formula1News.co.uk.