"I can accuse him but it doesn't do anything": Guenther Steiner comments on Haas owner deciding against renewing his contract
Former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner recently said he does not want to "accuse" team owner Gene Haas of anything. Steiner's contract was not renewed after the 2023 season.
The Italian-American was relieved of his duties as the team boss of Haas F1 earlier this week. Steiner had been with the team since its inception in the 2016 season and was arguably the biggest pull in terms of marketing and sponsorships owing to his off-track popularity.
Speaking with Craig Slater of Sky Sports, Guenther Steiner said he had no reason to accuse Gene Haas for his departure from the team as the American is the team owner and has the power to make the decision. He said:
"Gene owns the team so in the end he's free to do what he wants. I cannot accuse him of anything. I can accuse him but it doesn't do anything because he can make his decisions, he is free to decide.
"I am actually fine, my life will continue. I will have fun, I will stay around. Something will pop up. I'm doing good. In the end, a good period in my life came to an end, but maybe an even better one starts."
Former Haas team boss appreciative of his time with the team
Guenther Steiner also claimed that he did not get the opportunity to say thank you to the team members after his exit. The former team boss said he was appreciative of the effort of the crew and team members who worked for him over a decade.
He said (via F1.com):
“I didn’t have the chance to say thank you to a few people when I left Haas F1. I would just like to thank all the team members which I couldn’t give a proper goodbye [to] when I left. I want to say also thank you to all the fans who supported Haas while I was there – it’s fantastic.
"It’s one of those occasions, with so many people here. Thanks for coming as well, [for me] to say thank you to everybody for the support I got and I’m getting. It stung [not being able to say goodbye to the team], but they all know me and I still appreciate what they did."
Fans would be hoping the American team can build on the foundations led by Guenther Steiner and progress in the coming years, and make themselves more of a threat while challenging for the midfield positions.