Guenther Steiner: On Max and Jos Verstappen, Gene Haas, Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris
Former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner speaks to City PM about Max Verstappen and his father Jos, Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, Gene Haas. and more ahead of the release of his second book Unfiltered
Guenther Steiner is not one to mince his words. The former Haas team principal, breakout star of Drive To Survive and self-proclaimed “foking weirdo” is out of Formula 1 at the moment, having been sacked by team owner Gene Haas in January.
But in an office close to the US Embassy on Monday morning, Steiner’s reputation precedes him. He’s not short on opinions. He’s not short on the desire to speak his mind. And he’s also incredibly warm and engaging, about everything from Max Verstappen’s future.
Verstappen love affair
“Yes,” he bluntly tells City PM when asked whether world champion Verstappen could leave Red Bull. “I’d like to see him at Red Bull because for me, he’s a threat. He is Red Bull.
“I think if he goes, he’s going to Mercedes. There seems to be a long love affair there and Jos [Verstappen’s father] gets on very well with Toto [Wolff, Mercedes team principal].
“It could be exciting and I think Toto is in a good position. He can pick Max if he is available [likely 2026]. He is running a business and you need to get the best team to win championships.”
Italian-born Steiner worked from his North Carolina home to form Haas, which remains the newest team in Formula 1 despite joining the grid in 2016.
And while he doesn’t think we will see Andretti become the 11th team any time soon, he does believe the grip Red Bull have had on the Formula 1 circus is coming to an end.
Having dealt with a driver and their outspoken parent at Haas – Nikita Mazepin and his former chief sponsor, oligarch father Dmitry – Steiner recognises what Christian Horner is up against at Red Bull, where Verstappen’s dad Jos has been a vocal critic.
Steiner on grumpy dads
“You hate it,” he says. “I’m sure Christian is not happy about it but Jos is entitled to his opinion. If Christian wants, he needs to sit down with him in private and tell him to figure it out before he goes public.
“Jos obviously understands the sport and now he is in a position where his son is the main man. It is his moment to speak and if Max is not winning championships then you have a lot more listeners.”
Steiner has lived through Formula 1’s transition from CVC and Bernie Ecclestone to Liberty Media and a modern age, and admits in a “weird” way that Covid-19 was good for the sport. The pandemic diverted eyes to Drive to Survive, where Steiner shone as the foul-mouthed Italian at an American team who didn’t care what people thought of him, yet he insists he has never watched the show and has no intention of doing so.
Fighting McLarens
His experience as a team principal with Haas – after stints at Red Bull and Jaguar – mean he’s seen a thing or two. And in his first year as a fan for over a decade, the McLaren’s improvements have caught his eye.
Drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are proper fighters, and Steiner sees the duo becoming the sport’s new Nico Rosberg-Lewis Hamilton – where the team dominates but the drivers fall out.
“I am 60/40 on who wins the title but I think it will be Lando Norris [this season],” he adds. “If he gets a little help from Ferrari, with them not qualifying well, I think he can go out and win.
“I think there could be a Rosberg-Hamilton situation. Piastri is a machine, mentally strong, everything is there and he is very young.
“If the car is the same level next year they’ll be in a big fight from the beginning. If Lando wins this year Piastri will want his go while Lando Norris will want another one.
“It is a fantastic problem to have. McLaren are very humble, which is nice, but at some stage you need to believe that you are the man. You cannot play the underdog team when you’re the best.”
Steiner, Haas and your honour
Steiner acknowledges that he doesn’t talk to Gene Haas, his one time proprietor who backed the Italian’s dream of entering Formula 1, and the two remain locked in a US court case over monies allegedly owed to Steiner.
“I’m a person who, if he decides not to talk then I’m alright,” he says. “He must be alright. He doesn’t need me, I don’t need him and we move on.
“I’m fighting a lawsuit against him, which is public, and he fought a lawsuit against me – which was dismissed [in September, over trademarks]. I tried to get my money, which I think I am entitled to, and if he doesn’t agree we go to a judge.”
When time is up, Steiner spends five more minutes speaking his mind on a range of topics. If nothing else he is authentic to his core. And it cannot be long until we see him on the Formula 1 pitwall once again.
Guenther Steiner Unfiltered is published by Penguin Random House and is available from 10 October