Guenther Steiner was reportedly not allowed to say goodbye to his team after being ousted by Gene Haas

Guenther Steiner has been sacked by the Haas F1 team. The Italian-American will no longer be part of a team that he helped establish from scratch almost a decade ago. The 58-year-old had become a fan favorite in the paddock and had led his squad through some difficult times. However, it is believed that Steiner didn’t even get to bid farewell to the team.

F1 Presenter Craig Slater has revealed the tense environment at Haas over Steiner’s exit. Slater mentioned that he got to know about this decision the previous weekend. However, the F1 pundit revealed that the team had been aware of Guenther Steiner’s sacking for a couple of weeks.

I learned about this [Guenther Steiner's exit] at the weekend, but some people I’ve spoken to say they’ve known about it for a couple of weeks now.

Craig Slater said as reported by PlanetF1

Craig Slater had got in touch with members of the American team. Steiner’s contract had ended in December last year and team owner Gene Haas decided against an extension for the 58-year-old. Moreover, Slater claimed that Guenther Steiner didn’t even get to say goodbye to his team members despite leading the squad for almost a decade. The Italian-American remains in the UK at this moment.

And when I did check in with the Haas team today, with people I speak to there, they’ve told me that Guenther Steiner found out about this towards the end of December. He hasn’t had an opportunity to go and say his goodbyes at the factory.

Guenther Steiner would’ve been surprised by Gene Haas’ decision

Steiner played a pivotal role in the foundation of the Haas F1 team. The 58-year-old ensured the team’s survival during difficult times including the Covid-19 pandemic. However, Guenther Steiner had failed to bring in the desired results with Haas finishing last in the 2023 standings. Subsequently, Gene Haas decided to replace the Italian-American with Ayao Komatsu.

Craig Slater reckons that Steiner would’ve been surprised to hear the news of this decision. The 58-year-old had stayed put as the Team Principal of the American team since its inception. Additionally, Slater mentioned that this was not a direct sacking made by Haas. Instead, the team decided to simply not renew its contract with the Italian-American for another season.

We can’t say he’s been sacked, because his contract had come to an end and Gene has decided not to renew that.

Certainly, Guenther Steiner’s exit came as a shock to the entire paddock. The 58-year-old’s departure will lead to a new era for the American team as it gets a new team leader for the first time. However, it remains to be seen if Ayao Komatsu can bring a much-needed new direction to Haas in the coming months.

In case you missed it:

• Top 5 Guenther Steiner moments
• Ex-Michael Schumacher teammate spills the beans on the German’s wild ‘once a year’ party antics

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