In an interview, Günther Steiner – the former Haas Team Principal – shared his opinion on Michael Andretti and the mistake he made. According to the Italian engineer, the error lies in the way Andretti tried to gain support for his entry request into the category.
Andretti, who recently tried to bring his team into F1, saw his attempt rejected by Formula One Management (FOM) despite passing the initial FIA checks in 2023.
Andretti had involved General Motors as a partner for the power unit. However, the FOM felt that it wouldn’t add enough commercial value, with the prize fund potentially being split into 11 parts instead of 10. Some smaller teams categorically rejected this situation.
Andretti’s mistake according to Günther Steiner
Andretti tried to gain the support of the current F1 teams during the Miami GP in 2022, managing to get signatures only from Zak Brown of McLaren and Laurent Rossi of Alpine. However, according to Günther Steiner, this approach was destined to fail.
“First, you make the deal, then you make it public. You don’t make everything public and then try to make the deal. There’s a way to do things, but I’ll let everyone do it their own way,” explained Günther Steiner.
The former Haas Team Principal emphasized that his approach to securing Haas’ entry into F1 was very different. He worked behind the scenes to convince both the FIA and the FOM, as well as the other teams, before making his bid public. This method allowed Günther Steiner to gain the necessary support without creating unnecessary tensions.
“I think three or four people applied [in the FIA’s expression of interest process] and they asked me, ‘Günther, how did it go last time?’” Günther Steiner said. “This time the process has been made stricter because the stakes are much higher, as each team is worth a billion dollars. You have to be careful about what you do.”
He then added: “There are many problems now with having the FIA [on board], but not the FOM. I worked with both together. I got agreements from both, together.
I would have done things differently [from Andretti] because the teams don’t have voting rights, so it makes no sense to have a team’s signature: a team can sign all day long, but if you don’t have [the approval] of the FOM, nothing will happen.”
“The FOM has the right to grant you a license or not, so I acted differently. I went around and talked to those in the game, convinced them before making things public. That was the best thing to do.”
The last chance
Despite the rejection, Steiner believes that there is still a chance for Andretti to enter F1. The FOM has left the door open, suggesting that if General Motors (GM) could provide a power unit by 2028, the application could be reconsidered.
Günther Steiner stated: “I think there’s a chance. The FOM left the door open saying, ‘Show us what you can do with the engine.’
I have no idea whether GM has shown anything to the FOM or not, but that’s what needs to be done.”
“Red Bull is building its own PU. They showed what they’ll do, and it was quite simple after that.
Audi built a new facility in Germany to say: ‘This is the investment we’re making,’ but I haven’t heard anything from GM. I don’t know everything,” he concluded.
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