F1 News: Guenther Steiner Squashes Haas Turmoil Rumours

Haas team chief Guenther Steiner has squashed recent rumours of friction behind the scenes in the American team with reports of him seeking to sue team owner Gene Haas for $900 million.

There had been rumours of a significant controversy between Guenther Steiner and team owner Gene Haas concerning the ownership stakes.

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At the heart of their reported disagreement was Steiner's statement from an alleged 2016 agreement:

“I think it had to be my passion project. I started this team. I went out and found an investor.”

According to the reports, Steiner had asserted a promised 50% stake in the F1 division, which Gene Haas contested. The financial implications had been monumental; the Haas F1 Team was supposedly valued at around $900 million at the time. If Steiner's claim had been validated, he would have missed out on a mammoth $450 million during a potential team sale.

However, when Steiner was asked about the rumours by highly-respected F1 journalist Joe Saward during the Italian Grand Prix weekend, the Italian team chief laughed it off stating:

"I told Gene that I was supposed to be suing him for $900 million.

"And he said: ‘Good luck with that!’. Where do these stories come from? Who makes them up?"

The American team is currently running in eighth position in the constructors' standings with 11 points ahead of Alfa Romeo and AlphaTauri in ninth and tenth position with 10 and 3 points respectively. There is a 10-point gap ahead Haas to Williams in seventh with 21 points.

Haas is also due to bring a B-Spec car to the Austin Grand Prix which is expected to be more in-line with the dominant Red Bull RB19.