Has Gunther Steiner's self-confidence been boosted by his popularity in recent years? According to Helmut Marko, Red Bull consultant, there is more behind the sacking of the Italian team leader than the ailing Haas.
Gene Haas announced last week that from the 2024 season, Steiner, who led the team for eight years, will be replaced by Komako Ajao, thus bringing a technical-focused approach to the life of the team that finished last season last season. .
Steiner has since spoken of his feeling that the team's poor performance prompted the owner to change, but according to his colleague Marko, who works in Red Bull management, there is more to it than that, because in recent years, Steiner has tried to capitalize on his reputation, which was mainly stimulated by the series. Formula 1 documentaries that could have had a greater impact on Haas's life.
“When someone suddenly becomes very famous in documentaries like Netflix, they tend to take off. However, those who fly too high and too fast will fall further,” F1-Insider quoted Marko as saying.
“All I heard was that he wanted to exploit his popularity in the team, and that did not please the owner, Gene Haas. One of the main features of our sport is that the team always takes precedence over individuals. Steiner became a victim of his own popularity.”
The fired Steiner stepped up and did what Gene Haas wouldn't let him do
At the end of last season, a book was published about Steiner, the author of which is mentioned, but in fact it is the work of a “ghost writer” who, according to the former team manager, demonstrated his style very well. The specialist is For motorsport He talked about his relationship with Gene Haas, but did not mention the shares that Marco invested in him.
“My contract is up anyway, and I've always lived with the idea that if something doesn't work out, I want to know about it. I'm not attached to anything. Gene Haas owns the team, so he has the right to do with it what he wants. If you don't want me to… I'll be there, I won't be. 'I'm fine, let's move on,' Steiner said.
“I cannot say that our relationship has deteriorated. We simply put a lot of work into this matter, but the performance showed that it was not working and some changes were needed. Gene Haas had this change in mind.
Steiner also revealed that his contract with Haas expired at the end of last year anyway, so in his case it's not specifically about the dismissal, he simply didn't get another job.
