"The way to beat Mercedes is to put Guenther in the car": Haas team principal's comments about money and investment don't go down well with the fans

F1 fans did not not take kindly to the comments made by Haas F1 team principal Guenther Steiner about the money imbalance in the sport as he claimed that even investing $100 million won't close the gap to big teams like Ferrari and Mercedes.

In an exclusive interview with Planet F1, the German mentioned that he believes that money and investment are overrated concepts in the sport and instead focuses on hiring the best people and a business model.

Haas team boss said:

“So we don’t need to make this investment. It’s not just about money In Formula 1, I think money sometimes is overrated – people think, if you invest 100 million, you can beat Mercedes."

He added:

“You can invest 100 million in your facilities and in your equipment, but then you still need the people, because the difference is the people. And running different business models is a people thing, it’s not an equipment thing. So I think there’s more than one way to do this and we’re doing it the way we want to do it.”

F1 fans took to social media to give their reactions to the comments, with one fan claiming that the only way to Mercedes is putting Guenther Steiner in the car, saying:

"I think the way to beat Mercedes is put Guenther in the car,"

Here are some more reactions:

Haas F1 team principal on his stance on his off-track fanbase

Guenther Steiner stated when he started as the team boss of Haas in 2016 he was never trying to portray himself as a rock star and become popular amongst fans like he has after Netflix's Drive to Survive success.

"I never tried to be this, what I got to. When I started in 2016, I never tried to be this guy, where everybody knows my name and shouts my name. It’s a little bit weird to me. I never tried to be it. But, on the other side, I think it is good for Formula 1, not because of me, but because of the whole business growing because then we make it sustainable."

He added:

“If you’re a niche sport, you’re always on the edge. When does it go away? Motorsport is very difficult to keep alive because it costs a lot of money. Look at IndyCar, you know, it is a niche sport. It happened and now I have to deal with it. Would it be nicer sometimes to walk in without being asked for selfies and autographs? Yeah but if it is there, you have to do it.”

The Haas team boss Is as popular if not more amongst the fans as any F1 driver on the grid.