Guenther Steiner downplayed rumours of Christian Horner joining Haas
Guenther Steiner, who served as Haas Formula 1 team principal from 2014 to 2023, has offered advice to former Red Bull chief Christian Horner amid rumours linking the Briton to a move to Haas.
Haas team chief Ayao Komatsu confirmed that Horner had approached the American team but that the talks had not progressed. "Yeah, it is true that he approached us. And then one of our guys had an exploratory talk. And that's it. Nothing has gone any further. It is finished," Komatsu said ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix.
While addressing the link, Steiner, who worked with Horner at Red Bull as technical operations director from 2005 to 2008, explained on The Red Flags Podcast:
“I mean, we all know now from the reporting how much money Christian made. I do not think that Haas will pay him that amount of money, that’s the first thing.
“So, that’s my take on it. I wish I were paid the amount Christian was paid, but I wasn’t.
“It was answered by Ayao, I think, that they had talks, actually, he said. So, they must have had talks, I guess, otherwise he wouldn’t say it.
Christian Horner, Red Bull Racing
“But also, where Christian is coming from, Red Bull is the team with the biggest infrastructure, I would say, in Formula 1.
“They make their own engines. I mean, yeah, you could say Audi is the same, but Audi is still young compared with Red Bull, so it’s a completely different thing.
“Obviously, Christian doesn’t go there to participate in F1, and I guess that came out because he talked with somebody at Haas, as it was reported afterwards, and therefore the rumours came out that he’s going there.
“But this is how quickly rumours get legs in Formula 1. You speak with somebody, it’s a fact.”
When asked if he had any advice for his former colleague, Steiner said: "I'm not going to give any advice. I keep out of it," before later adding, "Good luck."
Horner was replaced in his role as Red Bull Racing CEO and team principal on 9 July 2025 and has since reached a settlement agreement with the Milton Keynes outfit that will allow him to return to the championship with another team in 2026.
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Category: General Sports