“We didn’t know if we could continue” - Guenther Steiner reveals one of the low points in his Haas F1 tenure so far
Haas F1 team boss Guenther Steiner has admitted that the 2020 pandemic season was one of the lowest points of his tenure as team principal of the American team as he did not know if the team would survive or not.
The COVID-19 pandemic did cause uncertainty amongst many small teams in the sport, including Haas F1, as they did not do any running on the track because of the restrictions. It also became difficult for the team to pay their employees as it is a privately run team and is owned by a single entity.
While speaking to PlanetF1, Guenther Steiner said:
“Oh yeah! No, I think 2020 when the pandemic came, I think that was a lower point. Because we didn’t know if we could continue or not in 2020. Maybe, racing-wise, [Silverstone 2019] was the low point but, as a team, the low point was 2020 when the pandemic came.
"We didn’t go racing, we didn’t know if Mr. Haas would continue, and then we turned it around and we made something out of it. And we are still around, as you can see!”
Guenther Steiner on his reasons for staying with the Haas F1 team
Guenther Steiner also stated that he never thought of moving teams during the 2023 season as being the team boss of Haas F1 is a passion project for him.
He explained:
“I think it has to be my passion project. I started this team, I went out and found an investor. If I leave… I never wanted another job, I would have had other jobs before, I didn’t want them.
"This was one thing I wanted to do. And it’s pretty cool to set up an F1 team in your lifetime. There are not many people doing that and, therefore, I feel committed to the people.
"We have got quite a few people here, who are still here from day one. I don’t get attracted by the neighbor’s greener grass. With Gene Haas, I know I have a very good boss, I’ve got a good relationship with him. He’s tough with me, but I’m tough with other people.
"So, if I do a bad job, I’m not afraid that he tells me. Not that he needs to tell me but, if he has a different opinion on it, I’m OK with it. I’m not getting upset about it.”
It's difficult to see Guenther Steiner leaving the team as he has become pretty synonymous with them in the sport.