Turnover among Formula 1 team bosses has increased significantly recently – a phenomenon that Günther Steiner attributes to a lack of understanding
Günther Steiner believes that the many dismissals of team bosses in Formula 1 show that some team owners do not yet “really understand” the championship, drawing comparisons with manager changes in football
In an exclusive interview with Motorsport.com at the 2024 Autosport International Show, the long-time Haas team principal says: “I think if you’re not performing or not getting results, the easiest way is to sack someone.”
“Is it the best way? I don’t know, and I don’t want to feel sorry for myself – I had a good time with it. But it’s what seems to be the trend at the moment.”
Steiner’s dismissal from Haas ahead of the 2024 season means that Aston Martin’s Mike Krack is now the third longest-serving team principal in Formula 1, although he was only appointed to succeed Otmar Szafnauer at the end of the 2021 season.
Szafnauer was then appointed Team Principal of Alpine for 2022 before being relieved of the role in mid-2023. Ferrari and Williams changed their team bosses at the end of 2022 and Franz Tost left AlphaTauri at the end of last year after leading the Red Bull sister team for 18 years.
There have also been recent management changes at McLaren and Sauber, which in turn are related: Andreas Seidl left the McLaren team to join Sauber, where he is preparing the transition to the Audi works team for 2026. Andrea Stella took over his role as team principal at McLaren from 2023.
This shows: The turnover among team bosses has risen sharply compared to the past, when the founders of traditional Formula 1 teams remained in office for years before successors – usually on a long-term basis – took the helm.
However, while a change of team boss in soccer can often lead to an upturn in results – also known as a “new manager bounce” – such a change is more difficult to achieve in Formula 1 given the long lead times involved in developing cars.
Steiner explains that the current situation has arisen “because I think some people who own the teams – companies, individuals – don’t really understand” that a “new manager bounce” in Formula 1 is virtually impossible.
“In my opinion, it’s quite late for Formula 1 in 2024, if you start from Bahrain, for a change of management,” he says. “You can’t change it – what happens there has happened. The damage is practically already done.”
“You have to look at what the plans are for 2026/2027. And people don’t want to hear that. Because everything revolves around the next result. As I said, it’s not like in soccer, where you can change a few players and make a big difference. You can’t do that in Formula 1.”
“I think in Formula 1, the understanding just isn’t there. Sooner or later it will happen. Because if the people don’t change and the teams’ vision doesn’t change, nothing else will change either,” said Steiner.
