In 2000, he was promoted to director of engineering, where he worked under the Ford World Rally Team alongside drivers Colin McRae and Carlos Sainz; ultimately, securing consecutive runner-up finishes in the 2000 and 2001 seasons.

"[5] Assuming the role on 3 December, Steiner was responsible for the engineering side of the team at Milton Keynes, while the director of strategy John Allison handled administrative tasks.

[1][7] However, Jaguar underperformed in the 2002 season,[8] with lead driver Eddie Irvine claiming only eight championship points while teammate Pedro de la Rosa failed to score,[9] and parent company Ford dismissed Lauda on 26 November before making 70 team members redundant.

"[7] Although Jaguar's new management offered Steiner another role in the team, he ultimately declined,[5][7] and spent the 2003 season on garden leave before replacing Wiet Huidekoper as technical director at Opel Performance Center in November of that year.

[1] While the US F1 Team was in development, Steiner met Joe Custer and Gene Haas of Stewart-Haas Racing, who had declined to invest in the project, at a steakhouse.

He proposed they themselves enter F1 by ordering a customer car from an established constructor, but delays in securing approval prompted them to apply for entry as a privateer team.

[19][20] Steiner, described as "the prime 'doer'" by motorsport publication Autosport, recruited the core staff, interviewed every team member,[4] and developed partnerships with outsourcers Dallara and Ferrari.

[25] At Haas, Steiner became notable for his forthright personality, particularly for his appearances on the Netflix series Formula 1: Drive to Survive which featured him frequently swearing.

[30] As part of the promotional activities for the release of his second book, Steiner embarked on a tour of multiple venues in the United Kingdom with a live show, to be held between November 2024 and June 2025.