Former Haas team boss Guenther Steiner feels the concerns regarding Red Bull’s F1 multi-team ownership will find a “natural” resolution, though stressed Red Bull also deserves “respect” for their contributions.
Red Bull has had two teams on the Formula 1 grid since 2006, and heading into the F1 2024 campaign, their second team has undergone a further revamp to become Visa Cash App RB and has strengthened its ties with the parent Red Bull Racing outfit.
This has sparked some concerns among rivals, heightened by the fact that Red Bull has been the dominant force of F1’s ground effect era, with McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown leading the outcry against the existence of this model in modern F1.
As the ex-Haas team boss and securer of their technical partnerships with Ferrari and Dallara, Steiner knows all about synergies between teams, arguing Haas would not have survived their first season without Ferrari’s support.
And as he cast his eye over the Red Bull-RB situation in conversation withSteiner said that while he fully understands the point Brown is making, he also believes there must be “respect” for his former team Red Bull considering all that the six-time Constructors’ Champions have contributed to the series, in the bad times as well as the good.
“Without that [Ferrari] relationship, Haas would not have been able to go where we did,” Steiner began. “We wouldn’t have survived the first season, in my opinion. It was very important.
“Obviously, with where Formula 1 is going now, there needs to be a direction where you do something.
“I understand Zak’s position very well, what he’s asking for. He is raising this for the long-term future of the sport.
“But the relationship between two teams owned by the same owner is different than the relationship between Haas and Ferrari.
“Then again, for the future, if the sport is in good standing, maybe there needs to be changes to the business models in general.
“Formula 1 is a little bit different to anything else, and we cannot forget what Red Bull brought to the sport when it was in difficulty, so there needs to be respect for that as well.
“But if the sport continues to develop like it is now, there will be a natural way to solve that problem.”
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Red Bull team principal Christian Horner addressed the fuss when speaking to media including PlanetF1.com’s Thomas Maher as part of a press conference during Bahrain testing.
Brushing it off as a “non-issue”, Horner echoed that point from Steiner of respect, saying Red Bull should be “applauded” for their F1 contributions.
“The commitment that Red Bull has made to F1 and these two teams is outstanding and should be applauded, and be grateful for, rather than derided and tried to compromise,” he argued.
“The two teams are totally separate. One is based in Italy. One is based in the UK. The one based in Italy has a far larger turnover of staff that ends up in Maranello [at Ferrari] than ends up in Milton Keynes.
“They have different personalities, they have different characters, and they comply continually with the regulations.
“Indeed, the relationship is far less tight than some of the teams that enjoy very tight relationships with their engine manufacturers.
“I would take it as a compliment, if I was Laurent, that this issue is being raised now, because of the change of stewardship.
“The team had the opportunity to get its act together, they’ve got two quality drivers, and they’re introducing quality people into that team.
“We expect them to be a competitor, not just of the rest of the field but, indeed, of Red Bull Racing.
“We’re a team of racers. There are no preset rules, and there are no agreements between the teams.
“So I don’t understand the fuss about it. I don’t understand the noise that’s been created about it. I think Red Bull should actually be applauded for the support and the commitment and the jobs that they provided through the good times, and particularly the bad times.
“So, for me, it really is a non-issue.”
Red Bull are believed across the paddock to be heading into F1 2024 as the pacesetters, with Max Verstappen looking to drive the RB20 to his fourth World Championship in succession.
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