"It's not spending money, it's investing” - Guenther Steiner opens up on Haas under-investment in its F1 project

Former Haas team boss Guenther Steiner has disagreed with team owner Gene Haas's comments about investing in their F1 project.

The American had clarified that Steiner's exit from the team came down to performance and was not related to their differing views on the infrastructure and investment in the team.

Speaking to Craig Slater of Sky Sports, Guenther Steiner pointed out that all of the other teams on the grid had invested substantially since the introduction of the budget cap in 2021 barring Haas. He said:

"I would say what is a fair assessment is when you look at the other teams where they are going since the budget cap came into place, a lot of teams - all of the teams - invested in the infrastructure. Therefore it is not spending money, it is investing to use the budget cap, the operational budget cap, as best as possible that you can put money in to make the car go quickly.

He added:

"Some people started straight away in 2020, 2021. Some people started last year, but everybody is doing it. I think that was one of the things. I look at the other ones and I suggest what needs and should be done."

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Haas team owner dishes about the alleged lack of spending in the team

Gene Haas has disagreed with claims that there has been a lack of spending in the team, saying that they are usually within $10 million of the budget cap.

Speaking exclusively to F1.com, Gene Haas explained more about their model of investment and said that they previously hadn't done a 'good job' of spending the resources. He said:

“There is a perception we spend a lot less money; we’re usually within $10m of the budget limit. I just think we don’t do a very good job of spending that money. A lot of teams have had previous investments in their infrastructure, buildings, equipment, and personnel.

"Our model was to outsource a lot of that. We spend a lot of money. We haven’t exceeded the cap but we’re pretty darn close to it. I just don’t think we’re doing a very good job of spending it in the most effective way.”

The American team is one of the smallest on the grid in terms of spending and infrastructure which has made them restrictive when it comes to in-season development of their car.