Guenther Steiner set for motorsport comeback after his F1 exit

Former Haas and Red Bull chief Guenther Steiner could land a new role at a MotoGP team, marking a surprise move into the motorcycle racing series now under the ownership of Liberty Media, which also owns F1.

Steiner has been out of work since being replaced by Ayao Komatsu as Haas team principal ahead of the 2024 F1 season.

The Italian is now nearing a return to motorsport with the Tech3 MotoGP outfit.

Steiner has been in talks about being involved with the motorcycle team in some capacity.

His exact role is still unclear, with Tech3 boss Herve Poncharal outlining a range of roles Steiner could fill, from investor, partner, minority shareholder or helping with sponsorship.

It will see Steiner return under the Liberty Media umbrella after F1’s owners completed the takeover of MotoGP - the premier motorcycle series - last year.

Steiner’s “experience” and “straightforward” way of talking has warmed the Tech3 team as they look to consolidate their position in MotoGP.

Since Steiner’s departure from Haas, he’s only worked as a TV pundit, with no return to an F1 team seemingly on the cards.

Steiner’s F1 journey

Steiner’s F1 history stretches back to the early 2000s with Jaguar, joining them as their team principal.

Steiner got the job after initially plying his trade in the European Rally Championship with Prodrive.

In 2000, Steiner worked alongside rally legends Carlos Sainz and Colin McRae in his role as head of engineering.

He got his F1 break in 2001, spending a few years as Jaguar team boss.

Red Bull brought the team in 2005, where Steiner worked alongside Christian Horner.

Steiner would ultimately depart at the end of 2005 after Red Bull had signed Adrian Newey.

Steiner remained at Red Bull until the end of 2008, leading their NASCAR efforts.

In 2016, Steiner led Haas F1 as team principal.

While Gene Haas was the owner of the team, Steiner was the clear figurehead.

Steiner’s honesty and exuberant personality raised his personal profile, particularly with the release of Netflix documentary 'Drive to Survive'.

Haas enjoyed modest results under his leadership, finishing fifth in the 2018 F1 constructors’ standings.

Since then, Haas’ results have been hit-and-miss, with the team finishing bottom of the constructors’ championship in his final year in charge.

Ahead of the 2024 campaign, Haas sacked Steiner, with reports hinting at a disagreement with owner Gene about the team’s direction.