In an unexpected pivot that has surprised many of his F1 colleagues, former Haas F1 team principal Guenther Steiner has revealed his motivations for diving headfirst into the electrifying world of MotoGP.
Earlier this month, Steiner announced that a consortium he leads had acquired KTM’s satellite MotoGP outfit Tech3 from long-serving owner Herve Poncharal. As part of the restructuring, Steiner will assume the role of CEO in 2026, while his business partner Richard Coleman will become the outfit’s team principal.
This move comes amid MotoGP's booming growth, fueled by Liberty Media's recent takeover of promoter Dorna Sports, and signals Steiner's desire to inject his signature charisma into two-wheeled competition after a career that has already taken him from rallying to NASCAR and most famously to Formula 1.
The Italian who became a fan favorite in the sport for his no-nonsense demeanor and memorable outbursts during his eight-year tenure at Haas, left the F1 outfit at the end of 2023 after Gene Haas opted not to renew his contract.
Since then, he's maintained a visible presence in the paddock as a television pundit, but the allure of hands-on leadership drew him elsewhere. Rather than chasing another role in the four-wheeled circus, Steiner turned his gaze to motorcycle racing – a series he's long admired from afar.
“Why not another project in Formula 1?”
Speaking on the reasoning behind his switch o two-wheel racing, Steiner explained that MotoGP was always of interest to him but until now he had never had the opportunity to get involved.
“Why not another project in Formula 1? First of all, I would say [MotoGP] is something I always looked at and never had time [for], and it was interesting,” Steiner said.
“I think Formula 1 is at the stage [where] I've done it, I've been there long enough, so I [wanted to] do something new. I always like new challenges, I moved to the States to open up a NASCAR team when I was in Formula 1.
“Formula 1 is fantastic, but it's not the only thing you can do in motorsport. I always like challenges in my life to do something new because when we started, I thought, ‘do you think I can make this happen?’ And we made it happen.”
Seeking control and long-term growth
Coleman added that Steiner’s shift away from F1 was also influenced by the freedom the new project offers. According to him, the Italian had multiple opportunities to remain within Formula 1 but opted instead for an environment where he could have full autonomy over decision-making.
“Guenther's had quite a few offers and bits and bobs in Formula 1, but we've both been in environments where we've had strained relationships with people we've worked with, and we just wanted to do something that was very much on our terms, that we had full control over,” explained Tech3’s new team principal.
©Tech3
“So, looking at it like a five-year horizon, we're pretty excited as to what we think we can do in this paddock.
“We approach that with total humility, and we're gonna take a while to learn, but we don't want to just make up the numbers. So we have to look at a project that we thought we'd ultimately be able to succeed in, in the long term.”
Steiner’s latest venture marks yet another reinvention in a career that has thrived on taking risks and exploring uncharted territory.
For the 60-year-old motorsport veteran, the attraction lies in proving once again that he can build something from scratch in a new paddock: a challenge he openly embraces.
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