Guenther Steiner is taking his former team to court over unpaid commissions and the use of his image.

The Italian left the American outfit with immediate effect in mid-January - along with technical director Simone Resta - and was replaced by Ayao Komatsu, the team's former head of engineering.

Having gained popularity courtesy of Drive to Survive, which made much of his volatility and expletive-laden outbursts, Steiner remains an ever present figure and though yet to secure a position with a team has been popping up in various roles for broadcasters.

However, as his former team sits seventh in the standings, Steiner has launched a legal action against it in North Carolina.

"Haas F1 chose not to renew Mr. Steiner's Employment Agreement. This was its right," state the documents submitted by his lawyers. "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.

"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."

Steiner is also suing his former team for using his image to cash in on his popularity.

"Haas F1 was frequently featured in the series, and Mr. Steiner's presence in the show drove more and more fans to Haas F1," reads the document, referring to Drive to Survive. "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.

"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."

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by Max Noble, 02/05/2024 8:55

"Thank goodness! Now Adrian and Red Bull have avoided going to court (for now…) we were going to run out of active court cases in Q2 2024! That would have been boring…!
"

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2. Posted by kenji, 02/05/2024 1:26

"In keeping with the times....'everyone's a victim'."

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3. Posted by BrightonCorgi, 01/05/2024 20:03

"Image rights are a stretch, the rest sounds like it could be reasonable.

How much does he think he is owed?"

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4. Posted by Anthony, 01/05/2024 15:17

"Good lord do even team principals now have image rights that they can “monetise”?!"

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Steiner takes legal action against Haas

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