Legal Update: First round to Steiner in lawsuits versus Haas

After the spicy-mouthed, eccentric F1 team boss was fired ahead of the 2024 season, Steiner filed a lawsuit against the American racing team. Haas did the same, suing the Italian engineer over the use of copyrighted images in his successful book Surviving to Drive.

However, an American judge has ruled that Steiner is fully within his rights. Haas claimed that the ex-team boss had published certain images "unlawfully, for the purpose of personal financial gain and illegal profit."

"Haas has never given permission for the use of our trademarks," an official statement from the team said.

Under U.S. law, Steiner is allowed to use the images based on "artistic relevance." The judge said: "Steiner wants to describe his experiences as team principal of the Haas Formula 1 team, which necessarily requires mentioning the Haas name.

"Like many sports biographies, the book also contains photographs of the relevant team, which undoubtedly feature the Haas brand name," concluded the judge,

Although Steiner won this first battle, there is another ongoing dispute between Haas and the Italian engineer. The Netflix Drive to Survive foul-mouthed 'star' previously sued his former employer for breach of contract, violation of local wage laws, and unauthorised use of his image. This case is still ongoing.