The new leader of Haas F1, Ayao Komatsu, who took over from Steiner, issued a warning before the Bahrain season-opener on 2 March. He stated that the U.S.-owned Formula 1 team, which finished last out of the 10 teams in 2023, would likely be competing towards the rear of the pack initially.
In the race, Kevin Magnussen secured a 12th place finish, followed by teammate Nico Hulkenberg’s 10th place finish in Saudi Arabia. Both drivers then achieved points with ninth and 10th place finishes in Australia last Sunday.
Steiner, during a video call on Wednesday after being announced as an ambassador for May’s Miami Grand Prix, praised the team and former technical director Simone Resta for their work on the car. He mentioned that the car was completed last year, before his departure as team principal.
According to Steiner, he accurately predicted the team’s performance, as he was aware of the data from the wind tunnel that indicated where the team would end up. He criticized the team for downplaying their expectations initially and then surpassing them. He conducted interviews with the top three race finishers in Melbourne.
Steiner expressed no ill feelings towards Gene Haas and the team. He acknowledged the hard work of the technical team in Italy and stated that only time will reveal what lies ahead for the team.
In addition to his role with Haas, Steiner has also worked with F1 television. He gained a following through his straightforward and sometimes profanity-laden appearances on the Netflix docu-series ‘Drive to Survive’. Steiner assured fans that he will continue to be involved with the series, although he is unsure how much of his footage will be used.
Steiner has had a lengthy career in motorsports, starting as a rally mechanic in the mid-eighties and progressing to top rally teams such as Prodrive and M-Sport. He entered the world of Formula 1 with Jaguar from 2001 to 2003, followed by a stint at Red Bull from 2005 to 2008. In 2014, Steiner returned to the F1 paddock to lead Gene Haas’ F1 endeavor for a decade, until his departure before the start of the 2024 F1 season.