Guenther Steiner wins legal battle against Haas over his book ‘Surviving to Drive’

Guenther Steiner won the legal battle against Haas over his book Surviving to Drive wherein he 'illegally' used some images owned by them.

Guenther Steiner wins legal battle against Haas over his book ‘Surviving to Drive’

Guenther Steiner (Via: Imago)

Guenther Steiner was ousted from the Haas F1 team ahead of the 2023 season amidst the team’s failing performance. The German had however gained massive popularity as an individual due to starring in Netflix’s Drive to Survive. So, Steiner also released his own book ‘Surviving to Drive’ last year for which he faced a legal lawsuit from the constructor in Formula 1.

The massively successful book was released and contained certain images that breached the trademark rules of the images owned by the Haas F1 team. Guenther Steiner was believed to have used these images illegally for his gain and illicit profit. The case registered to the Central District Court of California stated that the Italian was never permitted to use these images with the trademarks.

YouTube video

After witnessing the court documents, Racingnews365 revealed that Guenther Steiner used images just to portray his career in the sport. The Judge, Honourable Andre Birotte Jr has since cleared Steiner of any wrongdoing as the Italian won the case lodged against him. Birotte Jr. believed that the usage of images was artistically relevant and didn’t breach any trademark rules of Haas.

FS Video

The use of the Haas marks is artistically relevant to the book. The book recounts Steiner’s experiences as Team Principal of the Haas F1 Team during the 2022 season.

Andre Birotte Jr ruled, as reported by racingnews365.com

Guenther Steiner’s demand for Haas to pay his attorney’s fee was denied

Guenther Steiner didn’t stop at just winning the case and demanded the Haas F1 team cover the latter’s attorney fees. However, the judge declined this request from the Italian. The reason for this was that the payment was made only in ‘exceptional circumstances’ which didn’t hold true for this case.

Haas team principal Guenther Steiner
Guenther Steiner

The motion to dismiss the case from Guenther Steiner was accepted by the court and the complaint was dismissed. This meant that Steiner could continue to add to the revenue generated by the book without paying a royalty. The Italian had already gained over $4.5 Million in revenue by January 2024 from the book.

The Haas F1 team had recently cleared their dues to Uralkali after the controversy at the Dutch GP. Hence, recent times have been difficult for the American constructor. The team must mend their ways and clear other remaining dues as Steiner has another case pending with Haas over unpaid commission.