After months of uncertainty about the future of the American-owned team, with Haas admitting he wasn’t sure whether he would stay in Formula 1 or not, the team announced last week that it was the new Concorde Had signed an agreement.
This effectively means that Haas is committed to staying in Grand Prix racing for the next five years.
Steiner is convinced, however, that the result could have been very different without the radical cost reductions planned for Formula 1, including a budget cap linked to a more equal share of the sport’s prize money for all teams.
When asked by Motorsport.com if he could have convinced Haas to stay without the changes in sporting finances, Steiner said, “I would say it would have been a lot more difficult and almost impossible if there wasn’t a chance to be competitive and also that spending would not continue to grow.
“Certainly it always helps to have more income because the gap between what you can spend and what you get is smaller. I think without these two changes, Haas would have been very, very difficult for the Future would be there. “”
Ultimately, Steiner believes that the key factor behind F1 was the enormous marketing exposure that Sport gives Haas’ business.
“I think the main thing is that he sat back and saw that F1 is very powerful as a tool around the world. And when he thought about what it has done over the past five years, it sure has been beneficial for his company, for Haas automation, that was the main reason.
“And then, for sure, all the other things like the Concorde deal and equal payouts and the budget trophy that also helped convince him that this was a place to stay.
“I think without the targeting or semi-targeting the payouts to the smaller and big teams and the cost cap, without that, I’m really convinced he wouldn’t have signed up for it because it’s just so difficult.” catch up. “
While Haas has been open about whether or not to stay in Formula 1, Steiner said he never feared his boss would choose to retire.
“Worry is a big word,” he said. “I’ve been more focused on giving him solutions to what he was looking for and negotiating solutions so that someone like Mr. Haas will be convinced that F1 is still a good investment. That’s exactly what I did.”
“I wasn’t worried. I worked hard because when you worry, you make emotional decisions, and they’re usually wrong. So it was to keep in touch with him, explain how we should do it , and talk to him and talk it over and get his input.
“He’s got some good ideas, so he was just trying to find ways to get them into the Concorde deal and we did that with the financial agreements. So we did that.
“That’s why I never worried. It was more like how we can do it because if it didn’t work, wouldn’t he? If it didn’t work for him as a marketing tool, why would he?” That was my job.
“So it wasn’t a big concern, I just worked hard and tried to do my best to keep him going.”
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