Guenther Steiner has admitted he stayed two years too long at Haas, has no relationship whatsoever with team owner Gene Haas, and found out he was fired while queuing for salami at a supermarket. Honestly, as exit stories go, that one has layers.
The Admission Nobody Was Expecting
Speaking on the High Performance podcast, as reported by Motorsport.com, Steiner was refreshingly blunt about the end of his tenure at Haas. When asked directly whether he had overstayed his welcome, he did not flinch.
“I think I stayed two years too long. What I should have done was just say: ‘Hey, it’s not working. I’m leaving now.'” – Guenther Steiner
He built the team from scratch ahead of their 2016 debut and spent nearly a decade steering it through chaos, budget constraints, and the occasional Kevin Magnussen moment. But by his own reckoning, the final stretch was surplus to requirements.
The Phone Call in the Deli Aisle
The actual dismissal arrived via a brief phone call. Steiner’s description of the moment is almost too good to be fictional: he was standing at the delicatessen counter with his wife, choosing between ham and salami, when Gene Haas ended their professional relationship in a matter of seconds.
“I said to her: ‘I’m not at Haas anymore,’ and she said: ‘What do you mean?’ All in the supermarket.” – Guenther Steiner
He went home, had dinner, and slept perfectly. The next morning, he felt even better. That is not the reaction of a man who wanted to stay.
Gene Haas: Cordial Strangers
On his current relationship with the man who owns the team, Steiner was equally direct. There is no animosity, but there is also nothing else.
“It’s not a bad relationship; we just don’t have a relationship. That’s all. I’m quite happy going forward without him. And he’s quite happy without me.” – Guenther Steiner
He acknowledged Haas had every right to change direction: the person writing the cheques sets the agenda. Steiner’s frustration, it seems, was rooted in wanting infrastructure investment that the owner was not prepared to commit to. Two visions, zero compromise, one supermarket phone call.
Life After the Paddock
Steiner has kept himself busy since departing, moving into broadcasting, podcasting, and taking ownership of the KTM Tech3 MotoGP and Moto3 operation. Whether he misses the paddock politics is another question. Based on how soundly he slept that first night, probably not. He has also been vocal about the current grid, suggesting Mercedes already have their next generational talent in Kimi Antonelli.
The real question is whether Haas, now quietly solid under Ayao Komatsu, proves that Steiner’s vision was right all along, or that Gene simply needed a different kind of leader. Either way, somebody in that supermarket had an eventful Tuesday.
