"I wasn't out there trying to look for celebrity": Guenther Steiner addresses the possibility of his 'Drive to Survive' fame costing him his job 

Guenther Steiner has denied the possibility of his fame as a personality in the sport costing him his job at Haas.

Speaking to Sky Sports F1 at the Autosport International show, the German felt that the 'Drive to Survive' series and the fame he achieved benefitted the team significantly. Some of the speculation surrounding Steiner was his fame on ‘Drive to Survive’ and American television becoming a problem at the factory with senior management, while the team wasn’t performing too well.

Steiner's dismissal came as a shock to many despite his contract coming to an end by the end of 2023. It was also speculated that team owner Gene Haas’ relationship with the German had soured across the 2023 season where they finished at the bottom of the constructors standings.

As the Netflix series brought F1 into the limelight, Steiner became one of the more colorful characters in the sport. Along with his participation in the series, his struggle to keep the team afloat got aid from sponsors like Moneygram. The German felt that he did not intend on becoming a celebrity but promoted the team and the result of his fame benefited the team significantly in monetary terms.

Asked if his celebrity fame compromised his job at the Haas F1 team, Guenther Steiner said:

"No not really. But thinking back now, it could have but in the end the celebrity gave the team a lot of exposure, a lot of exposure. It brought in very good sponsors like Moneygram because they liked it, because they could use that.

"There is always positives and negatives to anything. Maybe there were some positives, and somebody brought up the negatives... These are things you cannot always plan for because I was not out there trying to look for celebrity. It happened to me and only the people who know me know that, so I'm ok with that."

Asked if he was conscious of the bottom line of the celebrity fame benefitting the team, the former Haas team principal said:

“Absolutely I didn’t try to make something out of it. So I didn’t get up in the morning to be celebrity, I get up in the morning to work. But I think it works a lot in favour of the team because without that it would have been closed before.”

There was also speculation that the team principal overshadowing the team owner did not go down very well with the latter. Asked if the relationship between him and Gene Haas had soured over the 2023 season, Guenther Steiner replied:

“I would suggest he was not discontent. In the end he owns the team, he can make this decision and I have to respect that and obviously I do. I think it was ten years and it was Ok. If he doesn’t want to continue with me, he is free to do that.”

Along with the Netflix series, Steiner also became a non-writing executive producer for a workplace-based comedy show with CBS.

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Guenther Steiner tells how he was informed his contract won't be renewed

Guenther Steiner claimed he received a phone call from Gene Haas during his Christmas break, where he was told that his contract was not going to be renewed. The German helped owner Haas start the team and navigated the ship through rough seas, particularly during the pandemic period.

In 2020, the team was on the verge of shutting down due to economic issues and it fell upon the 58-year-old to ensure its survival during a tough COVID-hit period for the sport.

Recalling his role in keeping the team afloat, Guenther Steiner said:

“Yes. I think without me in 2020, they wouldn’t have been around anymore. So I mean Gene owns the team, Gene Haas owns the team. So isn’t he end he’s free to do what he wants and I can’t accuse him of anything.

"I can accuse him but he can make his own decisions, he is free to decide. So I am actually fine, my life will continue and I will have fun, I will stay around, and something will pop up. And I’m doing good and in the end, a good period in my life came to an end. But maybe an even better one starts.”

Asked how he was told about his dismissal, Steiner added:

“Yes it was a phone call from Gene Haas to me. I was in Italy for my Christmas break and he called me up between Christmas and New Year.”

Without Steiner, it would have been hard for the team to be run in the limited budgets it has been run on since its inception. After the German’s dismissal, there has been speculation as to whether the team will be sold to Andretti, who are actively seeking to enter F1.

The changes at Haas at the top level have also put a question mark on the future of the team when most of its rivals like Alfa Romeo, Williams, and AlphaTauri are transitioning and stepping up their game. Since 2016, Haas haven't finished in the top four of the constructors' championship, with a fifth-place finish in 2018 being their best performance to date.