F1 News: Damon Hill Brands Shock Guenther Steiner Exit "Big Loss To The Sport"

"It’s a big loss to the sport because fans liked him," he said.

1996 Formula 1 world Champion Damon Hill has expressed his views on the former Haas team principal, Guenther Steiner's, sudden exit, calling it a huge loss for the sport. However, he did reveal that the wide media attention Steiner received might have proved to be a distraction, despite the gain in popularity. 

On January 10, the Haas F1 team officially confirmed the departure of Steiner from the team. Ayao Komatsu, the team's director of engineering, stepped in to replace him, bringing an end to Steiner's ten-year tenure with the Kannapolis-based outfit.

Haas Press Image

Haas ended at the bottom of the Constructors' Championship in 2023, which many suspect to be the reason behind Steiner's ousting. However, Hill suggests that the former team boss had become an F1 icon due to his popularity among the masses and thus, his exit is a "big loss to the sport". He told Sky Sports F1:

“Guenther became a bit of a celebrity thanks to the famous Netflix series and the behind-the-scenes filming of him. 

“He’s a huge character, very decisive, very confident and sure of what he’s saying. Maybe that’s part of the mix.

“He wants to win, I don’t know the real reason behind the departure but it’s a big loss to the sport because fans liked him, he attracted people, he was outspoken but maybe didn’t get the results that Gene Haas [team owner] wanted."

Apart from Netflix, reports suggested that a CBS comedy show would be based on a character like Steiner, which Hill thinks was a factor that could've acted against him. He added:

“Guenther was actually one of the masterminds of putting the whole thing together, Gene was really the investor.

“You could say it was his team, but he didn’t own it. He was getting a lot of attention, [that were potential] distractions.

“They were talking about this TV series they were planning and perhaps that was too much for some people.

“As a Team Principal, your primary job and focus has to be on what you do. But it wasn’t his fault that he was popular and he became a celebrity.”