Gunther Steiner has secured a victory in his legal dispute with former Formula 1 employer Haas.
After being ousted as long-time team principal before the 2024 season, Steiner launched legal proceedings against the small American outfit, citing several breaches of his contract.
In retaliation, Haas filed its own lawsuit in California, accusing Steiner of unlawfully using Haas-owned branding and images in his best-selling book Surviving To Drive.
However, the Central District Court of California has now thrown out Haas' lawsuit.
In his ruling, Judge Andre Birotte explained that Steiner had no choice but to include Haas-owned trademarks in his book, and that it is a common practice in "many sports biographies."
"The use of the Haas marks is artistically relevant to the book," Judge Birotte stated.
Steiner, 59, remains involved in Formula 1, though now only as a television pundit.
Following Sunday's Singapore Grand Prix, he revealed that he's "betting on Lando (Norris)" to eventually challenge Max Verstappen for the 2024 world championship.
"In Singapore he was so good, apart from a few times when he lost concentration or something. It was strange - look at (Kevin) Magnussen, he touched the wall once and got a puncture," remarked Steiner, who hails from the German-speaking region of South Tyrol, Italy.
