Steiner expects trickle down of F1 staff from top teams

Haas team principal Guenther Steiner anticipates a major shuffle in Formula 1 staff and technical heads once the 2021 budget cap takes a grip in the sport.

With each F1 team set to work with an annual $175 million budget cap from 2021, with only a handful of exceptions within the cost rules, the sport’s biggest teams are expected to need to slash its staff operations to operate within the budget or face heavy sporting penalties.

Meanwhile, smaller teams like Haas do not anticipate the budget cap to have a significant hit on its current operations given it already works within a smaller budget.

With the overall goal of the 2021 shake-up aiming to close up the F1 grid, Steiner predicts a side effect from the changes which is likely to see team personnel at the big three teams heading to other F1 outfits which can accommodate them.

“Absolutely right, because if they have to let staff go, that is people which need a new job,” Steiner said. “Or they pay them this well they don’t need a new job, I don’t know about that one.

“There will be a point where these people will knock on the door. But it didn’t happen yet.

“There are people still in denial I think. It’s a bit like racers are, we are in denial of everything until it happens.”

Despite the perceived opportunities for all F1 teams with the 2021 overhauls, Steiner is still predicting a painful and uncertain adaptation to the new-look rules for all teams.

“It’s because it’s a big change. It can be painful and you can get lucky,” he said. “You cannot really plan what will happen because maybe some people do a good job with little effort because they luck in, or they have a good idea and worked very well.

“And then maybe you have a big team that gets it completely wrong. You never know. It’s such a big change that anything could happen.”