Steiner fires Formula 1 warning over Honda withdrawal

Haas team principal Guenther Steiner has warned Honda's withdrawal from Formula 1 may not be a unique scenario in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Japanese power unit manufacturer announced its departure ahead of the Eifel Grand Prix, shocking the sport following the rapid improvement made to its programme.

Steiner believes people should not be surprised by the announcement, pointing to the exodus of manufacturers in the late 2000s during the world financial crisis.

"I think we need to be aware that this happens any day with anybody," he said.

"You need to think back, I don’t know if it was 2008, 2009 when three manufacturers pulled out. From one day to the other, Formula 1 was a different world.

"We don’t have to forget what happened this March. A pandemic came along and all of a sudden, we were in a bad spot, all of us.

"But we keep on forgetting that this thing can happen in Formula 1. This is not an essential business.

"Each company can decide to pull out any day. As much as we’re surprised, we shouldn’t be surprised because again, this can happen tomorrow."

One of the reasons outlined by Honda as to why it brought to an end its F1 operation was the refocusing of personnel to a carbon-neutrality goal.

Steiner believes the sport needs to ensure it is looking at the sustainability of the business, not just searching for the ultimate technologies, saying "we need to get better.

"Instead of just trying to always get the last bit out of technology and everything, we should also make sure that we have got a sustainable business and not only a sustainable technology," he added.

"Why would you run a normal business with this big risk that somebody can just get out of a contract without doing anything?

"I think we need always to be aware of that and I think we have got a lot more aware of it, but we are very good in forgetting very quick, because all of a sudden, everything is good again.

"We are back racing, okey dokey, let’s go racing, everything will be like it was before. Not always, that will not happen."

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