Spare Parts (F1 odds and ends)

Gunther Steiner suing HAAS .


Steiner takes Haas F1 team to court
Guenther Steiner has launched court action against his former Haas Formula 1 team over monies he says he is owed, as well as it using his likeness for promotional material.

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Jonathan NobleMay 1, 2024 at 9:10 AM
Upd: May 1, 2024 at 1:28 PM
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Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images


In court papers that have been lodged in Mecklenburg, North Carolina, Steiner has claimed that his former Haas team has not paid him for commissions that he was owed over several years, which was in violation of an employment agreement he had.

Furthermore, he claims that the outfit, which he left at the end of last year after his contract was not renewed, continues to sell merchandise that features his name and image, as well as use him on its official website. He says this is being done without his authorisation, and furthermore he is not being paid royalties that he says he is due.

In the court documents, which have had many details redacted, Steiner lays out his case that he should have been paid for commissions that were due to him in 2021, 2022 and 2023 and fell under the period covered by his most recent employment contract.

The court papers state: “Haas F1 chose not to renew Mr. Steiner's Employment Agreement. This was its right. But Haas F1 has done what it has no right to do and refused to pay Mr. Steiner [amount redacted] owed under his Employment Agreement.”

It added: “But after years of accepting the benefits of Mr. Steiner's reputation, experience, and deep connections within the sport, Haas F1 cannot withhold from Mr. Steiner the benefits he has earned.”
The court documents have not revealed the specifics of the commissions that Steiner says he is owed, but they could be linked to sponsor deals that he brought to the team.

Furthermore, Steiner believes Haas has not acted correctly in continuing to use his image and brand.

The court document states that Haas benefitted hugely from Steiner’s presence in the Netflix: Drive to Survive series, where he became one of its most popular figures.

“Haas F1 was frequently featured in the series, and Mr. Steiner's presence in the show drove more and more fans to Haas F1,” it said.

“This exposure was extremely valuable to the upstart racing team, particularly as it looked for additional revenue streams to support itself in the notoriously expensive Formula 1 environment.”


Steiner claims that Haas has continued to make profit off his brand and image, something he says it is not allowed to do because his employment contract had been terminated.

The court documents added: “Haas F1 has no right to use Mr. Steiner's name, image, and likeness or to exploit them in any form of media after the termination of his employment.

“Haas F1 has not compensated Mr. Steiner for its unauthorized use of his name, image, and likeness.”

 

Anybody else done with the pink and blue crap on cars for Miami.

Is Florida, it's Miami...it's a shed.

Rant over.

 

Agreed. Garbage circuit with some absolute garbage narcissism overflowing on the grid walk too. Some of the worst people in society attending this.

**** this race.

 

Not a fan of it at all. Especially when there are real race tracks here that deserve a race and would provide a better spectacle.

 

Especially as the colours of Miami are blue and orange, it's GTA Vice City that's pink and blue.

 

100%- so many more deserving race tracks in the US

 

I always associated it with Miami Vice.

 

Danny Ric did well there! Hopefully he has found the secret to extract performance from the 'what ever it's called this week' car.

 

teams seem to be catching up to RBR, what's the betting we get an awesome multi-team battle for the title next year, and then the regs change and we have 4 or 5 years of dominance from someone else.

 

As long as it's not Merc again. Maybe it's Ferrari's turn?

 

Or even McLaren.

 

I don't mind it being Mercedes as long as it's a team that let's it's drivers have a bit of a battle.

 

I don’t mind who it is , as long as it’s Williams

 

I just want some competition for the title. Don't care who wins so long as I don't go in to a race with a solid idea of who's going to win.

Oh, and some overtaking would be nice.

 

Although 1982 was Tragic , what a season .

Drivers strike the FISA FOCA war .



I may be in a minority, but I would like to see 2 tyre manufacturers again .

 

I'd prefer to see refueling brought back.

Tyre wars can just knock out half the field if one tyre maker gets it wrong.

Bridgestone v good year was it? Some teams should have bothered to turn up and tjsts no good.

I want the teams to have to drive hard or go home.

If someone can go flat out for the entire flrwc and 3 stop while someone else can choose a different way then you have some interest.

Wallowing heavy cars trundling about and saving tyres is no good imo

 

Yes , I like the idea of a tyre war , but re-fuelling was great IMHO .

What about the electric bit ?

Could be fun , rapid charging of the battery & fuel in close proximity !!!

or if designs change , jacking the car up and mechanics have to remove a plastic panel ,
then taking four Energiser bunny’s out and replacing them

 

The size of the batteries is the issue really.

I reckon they could have pods of hydrogen that can be exchanged and run on something like that picker and easier as it's all contained and interchangeable.

 

A very good letter ( IMHO ) in this weeks Autosport .

Is F1 STILL NOT POLITICAL
I seem to recall much being made of how Formula 1 is'not political' when the FIA defended its ban on drivers making statements or taking part in political displays at Fl events. The rationale seemed to be that the sport didn't want to be seen taking sides.

Perhaps the FIA and Liberty would like to explain how this squares with Donald Trump (a candidate in the upcoming presidential election and otherwise holding no office of state) being not only invited to the Miami Grand Prix, but being given guided tours by the head of the FIA and pitlane publicity? The highlights from this are already featuring in his campaign.

If the sport has decided it wants to be political after all, then so be it, but let's have a level playing field on this topic and stop treating everyone like fools .

 

Ferrari.

Hmm how can we catch red bull?

what about getting newey?

nahhhhh. Oh i know what team has a has been driver and engineers who can't make a decent car?

Merc lose two more to Ferrari today. Given they still can't engineer a suspension this seems, well... it seems counter productive