Guenther Steiner was one of the first hires for Red Bull’s Formula 1 venture in 2005, but his time there was short-lived. Following their purchase of the Jaguar team at the end of 2004, Red Bull started preparing for their debut season by bringing in key personnel.
Guenther Steiner was one of the first hires for Red Bull’s Formula 1 venture in 2005, but his time there was short-lived.
Following their purchase of the Jaguar team at the end of 2004, Red Bull started preparing for their debut season by bringing in key personnel. Christian Horner was named team principal and given the job of laying the groundwork.
Horner has since become one of the most successful team principals in modern F1, guiding Red Bull to multiple championships alongside Adrian Newey and Helmut Marko. Steiner came on board early with Horner, but it wasn’t long before the structure became crowded.
After Red Bull hired Newey from McLaren, Dietrich Mateschitz asked Steiner to help launch their NASCAR project in America. He agreed but left at the end of 2008 after that venture didn’t work out.
Staying in the US, Steiner began planning a new F1 team. By 2016, he had founded Haas and brought them onto the grid – a spot they still hold today.
Guenther Steiner calls Red Bull exit the ‘best thing’ to happen in his career
During an interview with FanAmp, Steiner spoke about his time at Red Bull and what led to his departure. He mentioned that leaving the team turned out to be a blessing, giving him a chance to break into the American market.
“No, for me it worked out perfectly. I mean, it became crowded and for me, now looking back, that was my lucky moment when I left because it opened, for me, the door to the States,” he said.
“I always wanted to live in the States when I was younger but never could because you need a work visa, and it opened that avenue for me and once I was here, now you cannot get rid of me anymore.”
He continued: “So first of all I opened my own company, a composite company. Now we’ve got 300 people which is pretty successful company and then it gave me the opportunity to start an F1 team.
“If I would have done the same in Europe, I wouldn’t have succeeded because I wouldn’t have found an investor and if I would have tried out of Europe to find an American investor, I don’t think he would have done it with me because it’s too far away.
Guenther Steiner reveals his one regret about early days with Haas
Steiner was with Haas from the team’s F1 entry in 2016 right through to the end of 2023, and played a big role in building the organisation alongside Gene Haas. Looking back now, he admits he wishes he’d taken an ownership stake, especially after team values soared under Liberty Media.
“Obviously, with hindsight, now it’s easy to say because you haven’t got that advantage. But, would I try to put in that I want a piece of the team? Yes, I would put that one in.
“But at the time, I didn’t want it because I didn’t have the money to invest in it. So I needed to be clear about that one. So I cannot demand something.
“But if I would have known that the teams would be worth, within five years, billions of dollars, obviously you would make yourself more valuable.”
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