5 of the most memorable moments of former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner's journey in F1
Haas recently announced that they will be removing Guenther Steiner from the team's principal's post and replacing him with Ayao Komatsu. The Italian-American had been a part of the American outfit since 2017.
Steiner was a fan favourite personality on the grid with multiple memorable moments that are loved by F1 fans worldwide. Here is a list of some of the most memorable moments of Guenther Steiner's time in Formula 1.
Some of Haas' ex-team principal Guenther Steiner's best moments in F1
#1 Heated conversation with Gene Haas
In the Netflix docuseries Drive to Survive, Guenther Steiner was one of the most popular individuals to watch. Back in the first season of the show, which showcased the 2018 F1 season, Steiner was seen talking to team owner Gene Haas about poor results.
Lines from the conversation became a massive meme, not only in the F1 community but in other internet spaces as well.
"We finish fourth and fifth we f****** look like rockstars. Now we are f****** bunch of wankers, bunch of f****** clowns," he told Gene Haas.
#2 Guenther Steiner if his team scores two points
It is safe to say that Guenther Steiner and his team would have done everything they could to score even a handful of points, mainly because they had been struggling for quite some time.
While giving an interview in 2022, the former team principal said he would have hugged the whole paddock if his team scored just two points. Steiner said:
"You cannot be too greedy, you know. I mean, last year, for two points, I would have hugged the whole paddock."
Interviewer Chirs Medland misheard the word 'hugged' for 'f*****' and apologised to the viewers of the profanity. Steiner clarified that he said the word 'hugged':
"Hugged them!"
#3 The Steiner Ship
As part of an F1 team, drivers and team principals have to go through loads of PR-related activities. While most drivers and team principals do not like being in front of the camera too much and smiling all the time, Guenther Steiner and Haas' hilarious photoshoot back in 2020 was one of the best.
The photoshoot involved a small wooden boat beside which Guenther Steiner sat for a picture, giving birth to the 'Steiner Ship' meme. The entire F1 community was hooked, making hilarious edits of the picture, adding bigger boats when the team performed well on a certain race weekend, and even talking about how the boat was sinking if they struggled.
#4 Kevin Mangussen smashing Guenther Steiner's door
Before his brief break from F1, Kevin Magnussen was racing for Haas. Back in 2019, however, the team was struggling, and Guenther Steiner called the driver and Romain Grojean to his office to reprimand them for their bad performance.
While leaving the office, Magnussen smashed the office door shut in anger. Seeing the reaction, Steiner stepped out and spewed his anger on another team member, saying:
"He is not f****** doing that to me! He does not f****** smash my door, tell him that! If he does not want to come back, he better tell me now. He smashed my f***** office door. I don't know where he is, but he can f*** off."
The moment became a famous scene from Netflix's Drive to Survive series.
#5 Messing around with Pirelli's Mario Isola
Guenther Steiner might be known for his hot-headed nature, but he is also one of the funniest and most playful characters on the grid.
In one incident, while Pirelli's Mario Isola was explaining details about Pirelli tires in F1, Steiner appeared in the shot, put one arm around Isola, and said:
"And there is Mario who is talking bull****"
This, of course, leaves Isola laughing as the camera pans towards former Haas team principal leaving the area.