The world of Formula 1 is still coming to terms with the ousting of the sport’s rockstar Guenter Steiner. The eccentric and outspoken Italian-American had a unique way of conducting himself around the paddock, which was like no other. Of course, his autonomy in the team enabled his unforgiving and unapologetic nature. After all, he did build the team from the ground up. Now that he’s gone, a British former racer believes his leadership and presence won’t be the only thing the Haas F1 team will miss.

Formula 1 is an expensive sport to be a part of and requires tens of millions of dollars just to operate. Gene Haas was the primary contributor to those million when the team ran its first race in 2016. Eight years later, he’s still the biggest contributor, but the contribution has remained the same with no scope of any third-party investment or sponsorship in sight. Speaking in an exclusive with EssentiallySports, Perry McCarthy predicted this situation could get worse because of Steiner’s absence.

“People shouldn’t underrate Guenther Steiner because he’s a highly intelligent guy. He’s a real character but he’s very very intelligent, very determined,” McCarthy praised the ousted Italian boss.

He continued to talk about Steiner’s impact on the team, and that’s when he made the bold statement. “So they’ve clearly made this decision to go engineering-led but to a degree, they will miss some of Guenther’s personality, magnetism, drawing sponsors in, and also his political capital that he enjoys through the paddock in Formula 1.”

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Steiner’s sacking will surely destabilize Haas for quite some time, this will result in shaky performances, which will surely shake the confidence of possible investors in the team, for at least the near future. Even Sky Sports expert David ‘Crofty’ Croft highlighted a similar problematic cycle at the American team.

David Croft paints a bleak picture of Haas’ future after Guenther Steiner’s exit

Everyone is siding with Steiner in this separation from Haas. Perhaps not everyone, but most, and even David Croft, is part of team Steiner. The F1 veteran commentator pointed out how Gene Haas hasn’t enabled his F1 team to compete with the rest of the grid, but crucified Steiner to show intent.

“Do they go forward? I don’t see how they do unless investment is made and the money is given to the team. They’re not operating anywhere near at the limits of the cost cap,” said Crofty.

He added, “They’re just not investing and they’ve lost a real motivator and a leader of people in Guenther Steiner and I wish Ayao Komatsu all the best but can you honestly see a scenario at this moment that Haas aren’t the team that will finish bottom at the end of the season?”

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Both McCarthy and David Croft are pointing out the same problem at Haas from different telescopes. Are we at a crossroads in the future of Haas in F1?