Guenther Steiner, the straight-talking former team principal of Haas F1, has made it clear that any potential return to Formula 1 would be strictly on his own terms.
Speaking on the Business of Sport podcast, Steiner emphasised that he’s seeking a project with a clear vision he can believe in, rather than just another role.
“I go back to life as a team principle if there is a project out there with a vision which I like, not to do a job. I’m not going back to do it just to do a job,” Steiner asserted.
He elaborated on the conditions for his return: “Would I go back to run a team? Yeah, but it needs to be how I want to run it, not somebody else likes to run it.”
“To get the best out of me, [I need to do] what I think, not what other people think,” he added. “I’m not a speaker. I’m a person who wants to do something. If I believe in [something], I will do the best I can. And hopefully it’s good enough.”
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Steiner also offered a candid assessment of the current landscape of F1 team ownership, noting a significant shift away from individual proprietors. “There is no real owner. There’s a few owners out there but they are now owned by big corporates, big teams,”
This distinction led to a definitive statement regarding his future with his previous employer: “There is only one team owned by an individual which is Haas. All the other ones, even Lawrence Stroll’s [Aston Martin] is partly owned by the company. So for sure I’m not going to work for Gene Haas. I don’t have to explain that one.”
For now, the charismatic Italian remains out of the paddock, but his recent remarks suggest that if the right project with the right level of control comes along, F1 might yet see the return of one of its most colourful characters.
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