Guenther Steiner names which driver he would have signed for Haas instead of Esteban Ocon

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Former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner spent nearly a decade trying to build the strongest team on and off the track before leaving the outfit at the beginning of 2024.

Haas are the newest manufacturer on the grid having made their debut in Australia in 2016 and with the least resources of any of the ten teams on the grid, have achieved some admirable results.

Romain Grosjean scored points for Haas in each of their first two races on the grid and Kevin Magnussen has a pole position to his name while driving for the American outfit.

However, they simply don’t have the platform yet to compete with F1’s biggest manufacturers, while some of the decisions they’ve made when it comes to their drivers have been questionable.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Haas F1 Team from team principal to Ferrari relationship

The all-rookie pairing of Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin ended in a pointless season, while Esteban Gutierrez never had the best relationship with Steiner during his one year with the team.

Guenther Steiner was a guest on the Sky Sports F1 Podcast and was asked about next year’s driver pairing.

Going into the United States Grand Prix, Haas are the only team who have announced an all-new line-up for 2025.

Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg will both move on, with Ferrari junior Oliver Bearman and Esteban Ocon joining the Banbury-based outfit.

READ MORE: Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg’s life outside F1 from wife to height

However, Steiner has now said that instead of hiring Ocon, he believes he would have been able to convince Hulkenberg to stay with Haas for another year.

Instead, the German is heading to F1’s weakest team Sauber, before they become the Audi works team in 2026, although he’s still unsure who his teammate will be next season.

Guenther Steiner would have kept Nico Hulkenberg at Haas instead of hiring Esteban Ocon

Steiner was asked what driver line-up he would have gone with at Haas in 2025 if he was still in charge and said: “I would have signed Ollie Bearman because that was already, it wasn’t a done deal, but it was like if he does well this year, that’s what he would get.

“And the second driver, I would have tried to keep Nico. I think I could have achieved that one.”

READ MORE: Alpine driver Esteban Ocon’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend

He was then asked what expectations he has for Bearman next year and continued: “I think he will perform well. I mean, he did well in the Ferrari, he did well in the Haas.

“I mean, I know him pretty well. I always speak with him and I see him and he did two FP1s when I was there, we gave him his first F1 outing.

“Is he world champion material? We will find out after one or two years, but he’s good. He’s a good driver. He’s got talent, and he’s a good guy. He knows how to get into F1.”

Alex Jacques backs Oliver Bearman to have an ‘easier’ 2025 season than Kimi Antonelli

While Steiner may not agree with bringing in Ocon over Hulkenberg, he’s excited about how Bearman may fare next year.

Current Haas boss Ayao Komatsu admitted wanting to keep Hulkenberg as well, but his mind was already made up before he could convince him to continue with the project.

Bearman has raced for Haas and Ferrari this season, scoring points on both occasions despite his disappointing Formula 2 campaign.

He’s one of a trio of rookies – alongside Kimi Antonelli and Jack Doohan – confirmed for next year, and Alex Jacques believes Bearman may have an easier time adapting to F1 than his on-track rivals.