Günther Steiner will not return as team boss in 2024, it was announced before the current Formula 1 season. The Italian, who indicated that he had made this choice himself, does not rule out returning to the paddock as boss of a team one day. “It is important that I am supported by someone with the same vision,” Steiner told the Dutch branch of Motorsport.com.
With jobs as a commentator for the German RTL, post-race interviewer in Australia and ambassador of the Miami Grand Prix, Steiner is certainly not sitting still. Yet he indicates that there is still something itching when it comes to a return as team boss. However, he does not like a team that drives at the back of the field such as Haas. “If I start with a team that can currently finish fifth or sixth but has a lot of room for improvement, I will join,” the Italian says. “I can fight,” he insists. However, if a team has little ambition to improve itself, then it is not necessary for him. ‘If they say they don’t want it anymore, that doesn’t make me happy. I’ve already had that, now I want to go further.’
Steiner would like to work for a team with a vision of the future
Steiner sees himself working for a team that focuses on winning races. A long-term goal is therefore important to him. ‘I don’t want to work somewhere where there is little vision for improvement due to circumstances. There are now only a few teams that can really grow,” said the Italian. That takes time, he is aware of that. ‘But I think it is important to be supported by someone with the same vision.’ If there are future prospects, Steiner would like to join the team in question. “If someone would like to have me as team boss but at the same time also says that they are satisfied with seventh or eighth place, that makes little sense in my opinion,” says the former team boss. ‘I already have that experience and I want more.’
Now that Steiner no longer works at Haas, he has gained a different view of Formula 1, he says. “It’s good for me because it gives me a broader vision,” he says. ‘As a team boss you suffer from tunnel vision, you mainly focus on what you can do better but hardly look around you. Now I can do that quietly,” says the man from South Tyrol. “If you ask me about what I have learned, I have to say that I have learned a lot,” he continues. He doesn’t know yet what he can do with that knowledge, because he is still processing it at the moment. “It wasn’t that long ago,” Steiner emphasizes. “In reality, it’s only been two months, but it still feels like an eternity.”
