Guenther Steiner addresses rumours of $900m legal action against Gene Haas

Michelle Foster
Spa-Francorchamps: Haas' Guenther Steiner at the Belgian Grand Prix.

Guenther Steiner, team boss of Haas, at the Belgian Grand Prix.

Guenther Steiner has scoffed at rumours he is suing Gene Haas for $900 million, saying the team owner said “good luck with that” when he told him about the rumours.

Earlier this month a rumour did the rounds claiming turmoil at Haas relating to a 2016 agreement between the team boss and the team owner over a stake in the Formula 1 outfit.

According to BusinessF1 Magazine, Steiner believed he was promised a 50 percent stake in the Formula 1 team but that Haas reneged on that.

Does Guenther Steiner want a piece of the Haas ownership pie?

As such he was reportedly considering suing the team owner for half of the Formula 1 team’s market value, that said to be $900m in total.

Steiner has laughed off the rumours.

“I told Gene that I was supposed to be suing him for $900 million,” he told F1 journalist Joe Saward. “And he said: ‘Good luck with that!’.

“Where do these stories come from? Who makes them up?”

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Steiner in fact recently spoke exclusively to PlanetF1.com about his good relationship with his team owner, calling Haas a “very good boss” but a “tough” one, which he appreciates.

“I think it [Haas] has to be my passion project,” Steiner said. “I started this team, I went out and found an investor. If I leave… I never wanted another job, I would have had other jobs before, but I didn’t want them.

“This was one thing I wanted to do. And it’s pretty cool to set up an F1 team in your lifetime. There are not many people doing that and, therefore, I feel committed to the people.

“We have got quite a few people here, who are still here from day one. I don’t get attracted by the neighbour’s greener grass.

“With Gene Haas, I know I have a very good boss, I’ve got a good relationship with him.

“He’s tough with me, but I’m tough with other people. So, if I do a bad job, I’m not afraid that he tells me. Not that he needs to tell me but, if he has a different opinion on it, I’m OK with it. I’m not getting upset about it.”

The American team is currently in eighth position in the constructors’ standings with eleven points.

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