Former F1 team boss Guenther Steiner eying MotoGP team CEO role, confirms investment talks
Former Haas Formula One team boss Guenther Steiner has confirmed he is in discussions to invest in a MotoGP team, which could lead to a new role as a squad CEO in the top category of global motorcycle racing.
Steiner was axed as Haas team boss at the end of 2023, eight years after its F1 debut in the 2016 season. Following his exit, he began working extensively as a television pundit in the sport. The Italian-American has also released a second book about his time working in F1 and is the co-owner of a North Carolina-based composites company.
Advertisement
'I'm unemployed but very busy,' he told The Athletic in an exclusive interview.
Reports in recent weeks have linked Steiner with investment in what is a new area of motorsport for the 60-year-old: the Tech3 team in MotoGP. The squad has raced in top-level motorcycle racing since 2001 — mostly as a customer Yamaha squad, before partnering with Austrian manufacturer KTM in 2019.
KTM is currently in the midst of a severe financial crisis, which has left its participation in MotoGP beyond the current bike design rules era that ends in 2026 in doubt. This has led Tech3 to seek outside investment. Current team owner Herve Poncharal recently confirmed talks with Steiner during an interview with the championship's host broadcast at the Aragon motorcycle Grand Prix won by Marc Márquez. Poncharal suggested discussion areas have included a potential full sale of the squad.
'(Steiner is) a very straightforward person and I think a very nice person to eventually work with,' Poncharal said, via TNT. 'So, right now I am listening to the proposal. It could be to come as a shareholder, as a partner, but it could also be to buy the whole team.'
Steiner confirmed the discussions to The Athletic but also insisted a deal was some way off being struck.
'I've looked into it, I speak with quite a few people,' Steiner said. 'I don't want to deny it. I mean, I would be stupid to deny it, but no, it's not done. But I'm working (on it). I always work on projects my whole life and (find) things to do. So, that is one of them because I find (MotoGP) very interesting. Also, a sport which has got a lot of potential to grow because the sport is fabulous — the racing is pretty cool!
'What these guys are doing is bonkers. And I just saw an opportunity. I know a lot of people there and started to work on it. But if it comes to fruition or not, or when, I don't know.'
Steiner said his interest in MotoGP stems from feeling 'the sport is undervalued at the moment', but insisted he believes in its potential with or without F1 commercial rights holder Liberty Media acquiring MotoGP as well. That $4.2billion deal was announced back in April 2024, but was subsequently scrutinised by the European Union's antitrust authority, the European Commission.
Advertisement
Reuters reported in April that approval for the Liberty takeover of MotoGP promoter Dorna will, however, be forthcoming. Liberty Media acquired F1's commercial rights ahead of the 2017 season and embarked on a series of initiatives aimed at growing its reach.
'I think (MotoGP) has got a lot of potential to grow as a sport — a little bit like F1 did,' Steiner said. 'There is a lot of potential there to attract more fans because it's such a good sport.
'I think the sport will grow anyway, with or without Liberty, to be honest. So, I believe in it with or without Liberty. Obviously, Liberty, what they did with F1 is fantastic. And I think they could help make MotoGP bigger for sure.'
A MotoGP move would take Steiner into another area of motorsport after his stints as a mechanic and senior engineer in the World Rally Championship with Mazda, Prodrive and Ford, and as managing director at Jaguar in F1 before becoming technical director in the early days after that team's transformation into the current Red Bull squad in 2005. Most famously, he worked as Haas' first F1 team boss. His position at the American squad gained worldwide fame due to his high-profile participation in the Netflix series 'Drive to Survive' — a key Liberty-approved project aimed at swelling F1's fanbase. It is generally considered to have been a big success for F1.
But when asked if his mooted MotoGP move would involve him resuming team principal duties in a new field or if he was keen to be more of a silent partner this time around having been so heavily involved in Haas' formation, Steiner replied: 'I don't yet know my position, but I cannot stay silent.
'You know me, I cannot be silent! I cannot be completely silent, but maybe I wouldn't do the day-to-day work. Maybe I would be more strategic, like a CEO or something like this. But I've got too many things going on in my life to do this as 100 percent. So, I will put a lot of effort in because I like it. I cannot, if I'm invested in something, just take the back seat.
Advertisement
'I always have opinions and I think there is also my value — I see a lot of things, I've done a lot of things. I'm very old now, by the way, so don't forget that. When you get older, you've got experience and need to try to use it.
'I've never worked in MotoGP. My experience is watching it and speaking with people. Therefore, I say again there's people which know more about the day-to-day MotoGP than me. And I respect that.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
26 minutes ago
- New York Times
Trent Alexander-Arnold's Real Madrid balancing act – and rebrand from Liverpool days
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez read carefully from his speech as he called the club's new signing Trent Alexander-Arnold 'one of the best full-backs in the world' and welcomed 'beloved Trent' to 'the club of the 15 European Cups'. Sitting in the front row alongside his partner and family, Alexander-Arnold watched Thursday's proceedings of his presentation as a Real Madrid player with a shy half-smile on his face. When Perez finished speaking, the arrival from Liverpool got to his feet, exchanged a quick embrace with his new boss, and took to the stage himself. Advertisement 'Thanks to president Florentino Perez and this club for this opportunity,' Alexander-Arnold said, surprising everyone by starting his speech in Spanish. 'To sign for a club like Real Madrid does not happen every day, it's a dream come true,' he continued, in very good Spanish, delivered without reading any notes. 'I'm happy and proud to be here, and really looking forward to showing madridistas how I play. I'm ready to give everything for this club and these fans. I want to win many trophies, and improve among the best players in the world. Thanks, and hala Madrid!' The camera cut to the audience of besuited Madrid figures in the seats at the basketball pavilion at the club's training ground. Those present included venerable club directors and former first-team stars now working for the club. Many of the faces clearly showed their surprise at the England international's unexpected language skills. 🗣️🇪🇸 Señor Alexander-Arnold#WelcomeTrent — Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) June 12, 2025 When Jude Bellingham was presented as a Madrid signing on the same stage back in June 2023, he said one sentence in Spanish ('Hello everyone, hello madridistas') before switching to his native English. In under two minutes, Alexander Arnold had already spoken more Spanish in public than fellow-Brit Gareth Bale did during his nine years at Madrid between 2013 and 2022. It showed a level of preparation and awareness that is quite rare, even at the top level in football. Kylian Mbappe could do his entire presentation and first Madrid press conference in Spanish, but then the Frenchman had over a decade to prepare for his arrival. Just how long Alexander-Arnold has known he would be joining Madrid remains something of a mystery, and a controversial topic for many back at Anfield. The 26-year-old was clearly aware of the sensitivity. Advertisement Asked how long he had been learning Spanish, Alexander-Arnold replied 'a few months' with a smile that showed he knew it was a potential trick question, given some Liverpool fans have felt hurt by him and his camp having spoken to Madrid at least as early as April 2024. When asked by Real Madrid TV for his feelings on arriving at Madrid, he said it had been 'a day I've been waiting for, for a long time now'. The next question was obvious — just exactly how long had he been waiting? Alexander-Arnold was quick to realise the right thing to say. 'To be clear, by waiting a long time I mean a couple of weeks, not years,' he said. 'But I'm very excited to be here. Whether you support the club or not, you have to respect the club's trophies and history. I grew up watching this club win Champions Leagues. A big reason why I joined is to be a part of the amazing history of the club, and its success going forward.' Other Madrid galacticos, including Mbappe and Bale, have been presented along with old family photos of them wearing Real Madrid jerseys as kids. Alexander-Arnold was clear that he had always been a Liverpool fan, and he will also have known that, in a 2021 interview, he told GQ magazine that 'my other favourite team is Barcelona'. There was no attempt to whitewash any of his past. Instead, we got what looked like an honest and straightforward explanation that, while he loved Liverpool, he also believed he had every right to leave to join Madrid, and he was very happy to have made that decision. The impression was an event which had been very carefully stage-managed and planned out. That was also the case as Alexander-Arnold explained why he will use the name 'Trent' on his jersey over his new number 12 at Madrid. 'It's quite easy to be honest,' he said, with another smile. 'In Europe, the double-barrelled name situation confuses people. People call me Arnold, Alexander, Alex, Trent. I thought: let's make it easy, and to be known as Trent — that's my name.' Advertisement That is likely only half the reason. The 'rebrand' to Trent has also taken place on his Instagram account, and will likely help with marketing, both for Madrid and for him. Being able to present yourself well and taking advantage of commercial opportunities is always important at Madrid. Even Perez's speech was aimed at many different audiences — maybe even some players at other clubs who could end up arriving at Madrid in the coming years. 'The Bernabeu is waiting for you,' he said to Alexander-Arnold and everyone watching. 'There, you will experience unique moments that will sometimes be difficult to understand. It's magic and its mystique will excite you.' Perez also highlighted the importance to Madrid of winning the upcoming Club World Cup, which is seen as an important priority. That might not be easy. Madrid have a new coach in Xabi Alonso, new signings (including Alexander-Arnold) to fit in, and are coming off a 2024-25 domestic and European campaign that went badly off the rails and resulted in an acrimonious exit for former coach Carlo Ancelotti. But Alexander-Arnold's arrival is part of what Perez is presenting as a fresh start, and he did not put a foot wrong on his first day as a Real Madrid player. He was also respectful and intelligent when speaking about his team-mates, playing down the idea he saw himself as a Ballon d'Or candidate ahead of Mbappe, Vinicius Jr or Bellingham, while also showing respect for Madrid's long-serving first-choice right-back Dani Carvajal, the club captain who is soon returning from injury. It was not easy to balance two different messages to two different audiences, and Liverpool supporters may still have some grievances over his exit. But Madrid fans should be excited that, off the pitch at least, they are getting a player who understands the Bernabeu club very, very well. While Alexander-Arnold's amazing level of Spanish speaking will have left some Liverpool fans scratching their heads at just how long he has been preparing for his move to Madrid, the former Anfield favourite did speak highly of his former club and said the right things, even if not everyone wants to hear it. It won't hurt that he said Liverpool are 'the biggest team in England'. That line alone will not undo the hurt some fans feel at his low-fee departure with his peak years ahead of him. But saying it on such a massive stage as his Madrid presentation felt like a bit of a flag plant. He stepped into 'Brit abroad territory' when comparing Liverpool and Madrid's weather but didn't get bogged down in that cliché too much. Overall, listening to him speak, you could clearly see how much of a big moment this was for him and his family. He was well prepared and his Spanish showed that, but I'm not sure the reality of his achievement has actually hit him yet. Maybe winning the Club World Cup will be the thing that does it. Advertisement The fact that he is now using 'Trent' on the back of his shirt and as his new Instagram handle feels like an outstanding branding move as much as an ode to Liverpool. During his Liverpool career, he was referred to as Alexander-Arnold but most of the time when fans discussed him, they simply said 'Trent'. It was like they knew him personally — which is why, depending on who you ask, it feels surreal to some and hurtful to others that the lad from West Derby who felt like their mate has moved to sunny Madrid. Caoimhe O'Neill Aside from pitch-sweeping passes and unrivalled creativity from out wide, Alexander-Arnold opens up more options for new coach Xabi Alonso's Madrid team. He is equally happy to play a marauding wing-back role, jump into midfield or even tuck into a wide centre-back role, where he can get on the ball and create from deep, allowing the full-back on the opposite flank to push on. He will not replace Toni Kroos, but his desire to fire long passes out to the wing will help recoup some of what Madrid lost when the German retired last summer. The visualisation below — curling crosses into the box, probing passes down the line, and raking switches of play — shows how he could help get the most out of Madrid's rapid wide players and clinical finishers by finding the spaces in behind defences. While there may be lingering concerns surrounding his defensive capabilities, Alexander-Arnold will only help to level up Madrid's in-possession play. Expect the super-flexible Alonso to blur positional boundaries even more as he looks to get the most from this remarkable passer of a football. Thom Harris
Washington Post
an hour ago
- Washington Post
Euro 2025 host Switzerland loses veteran forward Ramona Bachmann to knee injury
BERN, Switzerland — Veteran Switzerland forward Ramona Bachmann will miss the Women's European Championship in her home country next month after suffering a serious knee injury in training. Bachmann was injured on Wednesday without contact from another player. Tests on Thursday showed an ACL rupture in her left knee, the Swiss soccer federation said.
Entrepreneur
an hour ago
- Entrepreneur
Entrepreneur UK's London 100: 32Co
Industry: Healthtech 32Co is a London based dental healthtech startup pioneering a new future for collaborative healthcare, by innovating a platform that enables generalist and specialist clinicians to work together and share knowledge, virtually, for the first time. The result? Improved quality of patient care, reduced costs, and new revenue streams. Less than ten years ago, 32Co's founder and CEO Dr Sonia Szamocki was still walking the halls of London's A&E departments. Treating dog bites, a dislocated shoulder, and a seizure could all be in a day's work. In London's hospitals, Dr Szamocki prized the ability to chat with and learn from colleagues with specialised knowledge, which she could then use to help patients with these problems: heart surgeons, facial clinic specialists, tendon specialists. However, she noticed that at a general level, access to the very best specialist treatment and knowledge was limited. Put plainly, an already small pool of specialist clinicians are unable to share their expertise with general clinicians. This made Dr Szamocki think, how could we help clinicians provide more cutting-edge treatment, sooner, and spread niche medical knowledge to help improve patient care? She soon pivoted to healthcare consulting at Boston Consulting Group, where she advised on major transformation projects. Later, under BCG's Digital Ventures arm, she helped build the world's largest digital health platform for haemophilia patients. Fast forward to 2022, Dr Szamocki founded 32Co. This company is a shining light for London-based startups - its platform and founder are fundamentally paving a new path that could revolutionise the way public and private healthcare systems operate in years to come. A testament to 32Co's vision, it has been backed by Balderton Capital, the early investors in Revolut, Depop, Wayve, and Clue. "As an A&E doctor, I witnessed firsthand the inefficiencies of the healthcare system - how specialist knowledge is siloed and how connecting patients with expert care is often slow and complex", says Dr. Szamocki. "I kept asking myself: why should healthcare innovation take decades to reach those who need it most? That's why I founded 32Co: to break down these barriers, empower clinicians to collaborate across specialties, and ensure every patient receives the best possible care, no matter where they are."
