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Fans of F1 were in for heartbreak when news broke of Guenther Steiner leaving Haas before the 2024 season. Following a poor season in 2023, Gene Haas decided it was time to bring about a change within his team. As such, Steiner was no longer a part of the Haas setup. However, there might soon be reason for F1 fans and Steiner to rejoice, with SpeedCafe reporting the possibility of him returning to the grid as a team owner.
Despite staying around the sport of F1 as a TV presenter, Steiner looked for opportunities to come back with a bang in a bigger role. Hence, he pursued this path by buying into a pre-existing F1 team. Given the same, reports also suggest Steiner has recently secured the necessary funding and is now actively looking for a team to invest in.
Currently a bullish market, F1 has very limited options for Steiner to choose from. Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull, and Sauber are out of the picture with committed owners. Aston Martin owners have also shown commitment to their project, and it is too soon for them to think about a sale.
Haas is another team Steiner wouldn’t want to consider. Aside from a bitter history, the operations at Haas are way too scattered to materialize into a successful outfit. Steiner even stated that he isn’t interested in running a team even “on the same premise as Haas.”
Having spent a lot of years in F1, Steiner wants to do more than participate in races. He wants to compete with the top teams and build an outfit capable of winning races. As such, Visa Cash App RB, Alpine, McLaren, and Williams remain.
Guenther Steiner will need to put in a lot of effort to realize his dream
A McLaren acquisition will be a tricky thing to pull off for Steiner. The organization extends beyond the confines of just being a racing team, and the Bahraini Sovereign Wealth Fund only recently acquired it all. Divided into two groups, the McLaren organization houses Racing operations as well as a road car business. The latter has struggled a lot, while the former is growing in stature and returning promising results. Hence, it seems unlikely that the new owners would want to sell the more profitable of the two divides.
Meanwhile, Alpine looks like a much more viable option for Steiner. Following a $200 million influx by new investors in 2023, Forbes valued the entire organization at roughly $1.4 billion. Rumored to be on the market for quite some time, Steiner would need to shell out $1.1 billion for a 76% stake in the team. Realistically, the only remaining option is Williams, but it has its challenges.
Currently worth an estimated price of around $725 million, the Grove-based team is owned by Dorilton Capital. Battling with decades of under-investment, the team needs a huge influx of cash and experience to turn things around. On paper, Williams could be the easiest team to purchase for Steiner. However, it is also the team that will require the most work. Moreover, it will also require a lot of time, given the cost cap will halt the developments the team would want to make in a season.
