Guenther Steiner

Guenther Steiner is the Team Principal of Haas F1 Team. Born in Merano, Italy, he began his motorsport career in rallying, achieving success with Mazda and later with the Top Run team and Jolly Club. As Technical Manager, he played a key role in securing consecutive Italian Rally Championship titles from 1994 to 1996. Guenther moved to Prodrive in the UK, where he became team manager for the Allstar Rally Team, winning the European Championship in its first season. This success led to his role as Director of Engineering for Ford’s rally team, M-Sport, where he worked with World Champions Colin McRae and Carlos Sainz. In 2002, Guenther transitioned to Formula 1 with Jaguar Racing as Managing Director, restructuring the team and achieving a podium finish in Italy with driver Eddie Irvine. After a brief period with Opel, he returned to Formula 1 with Red Bull Racing and later established Red Bull's NASCAR programme in the USA. When Gene Haas decided to create a Formula One team, he appointed Guenther to lead the initiative. Under his guidance, Haas F1 Team debuted in 2016, finishing eighth in the constructor standings with 29 points, the highest for any new team in this millennium. The team became a prominent independent competitor, achieving its first Formula 1 pole position in 2022 with driver Kevin Magnussen. Guenther served as Team Principal from 2016 to 2023. Guenther has gained popularity in the media and among fans for his candid style and humour, particularly featured in "Drive to Survive." His 2023 book "Survive to Drive" topped The Sunday Times bestseller list. Fluent in English, German, and Italian, he is a recognised figure in Formula 1, offering insights on leadership and team management at various events.