Guenther Steiner has explained how his new role with Tech3 in MotoGP differs fundamentally from his years running Haas in Formula 1. Rather than overseeing every aspect of a racing operation, the former F1 team principal is now concentrating primarily on commercial strategy, contracts and major decisions as Tech3 prepares for MotoGP’s new regulatory era.
Before joining Haas, Guenther Steiner had already established a strong reputation in rallying through spells with Mazda, Prodrive and M-Sport before taking senior management positions in Formula 1 with Jaguar Racing and Red Bull.
Guenther Steiner led the Haas project from its Formula 1 debut in 2016 until the end of 2023, when he left the American team following disagreements with owner Gene Haas over the future direction of the operation.
Guenther Steiner explains his new Tech3 MotoGP role
In September 2025, Guenther Steiner returned to a prominent motorsport role when a consortium led by him acquired Tech3 KTM. The takeover brought an end to the era of Hervé Poncharal, the team’s founder and a central figure in its history for more than 35 years.
The project also represents Guenther Steiner’s first direct involvement in MotoGP. Speaking to Motorsport Week at Brno, he explained that his responsibilities are significantly different from those he had in Formula 1, where running Haas was effectively his full-time occupation.
“It’s a little bit different because, at the end of the day, before that was my only job. Now I do other things as well.”
From a technical and sporting perspective, Guenther Steiner believes Tech3 already has a highly capable structure that does not require him to interfere with the running of race weekends.
“They are a really strong team. They don’t need me on the racing side; they already do a better job than I could.”
That leaves Guenther Steiner free to concentrate more heavily on the strategic and commercial side of the organisation, as well as major decisions such as the team’s rider line-up.
“I try to help the team commercially and with the important decisions. I’m very involved because I want to be, but it’s a different role: in Formula 1 I managed everything, whereas here Nico Goyon looks after the operational side.”
Contracts and commercial growth become Steiner’s priority
Guenther Steiner therefore spends much of his time working on contracts and the wider development of Tech3, particularly as he believes MotoGP is entering a period of significant change.
“I look after the contracts because I think MotoGP is going through a change. I’ve already experienced a similar situation in another championship when Liberty Media came in. I know a lot of people and that can help the team grow.”
His experience bridging Formula 1 and MotoGP has already made Guenther Steiner an unusual figure across the two championships. He has also continued discussing the parallels between the categories, recently comparing Marc Marquez with Lewis Hamilton when assessing two of motorsport’s most successful competitors.
Tech3 prepares for major 2027 MotoGP changes
Tech3 will continue as a KTM customer team under a multi-year agreement that will take the operation into MotoGP’s new regulatory cycle beginning in 2027. Alongside the technical changes, the team’s rider line-up is also expected to undergo a major reshuffle.
The current pairing of Enea Bastianini and Maverick Viñales is expected to make way for new arrivals, with Tech3 interested in highly rated Moto2 rider Senna Agius as well as Honda rider Luca Marini.
Enea Bastianini, meanwhile, is set to join Trackhouse Aprilia as the replacement for Ai Ogura, who is heading to Yamaha. Maverick Viñales’ future increasingly appears to lie away from MotoGP altogether, despite KTM reportedly making him an offer that was subsequently withdrawn.
For Guenther Steiner, however, the central difference compared with his Haas years is already clear. He remains heavily involved in shaping Tech3’s future, but rather than controlling the racing operation from top to bottom, his influence is now focused on the commercial relationships, contracts and strategic decisions that could determine how the team develops through MotoGP’s next era.
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