Guenther Steiner parts ways with Haas F1 Team after nearly a decade of service to the American Team

By Mukarram Hamid

Steiner departs Haas (Image: Getty Images)

Haas F1 Team have recently announced that Guenther Steiner, their team principal since their debut in the sport in 2016, has been fired. Steiner leaves the American outfit amid tensions with team boss Gene Haas over the direction of the team; Steiner wanted more sponsorships to continue the development of the team’s facilities and car. Haas, however, stated that he believed that money wasn’t the cause of the team’s misfortunes and that Steiner was to blame instead.

During Steiner’s tenure as Team Principal, the team achieved some highs, such as points in their first race, fifth place in the constructors’ standings in 2018 and a pole position in Brazil in 2022. On the other hand, according to Haas, the outfit has had more lows as of late, finishing either tenth or ninth in four out of the last six years, with no podium finishes and underdevelopment of the car.

Although Haas’s complaints have some merit, Steiner’s request for more sponsorships did not come without cause, as in 2021, the team had to make a hard decision; they could either develop the 2021 car and underdevelop the 2022 car or sacrifice the 2021 season and focus solely on development for 2022. The team, with a lack of funding, decided on the latter and committed fully to creating a challenger for 2022.

However, even with this plan of action, Haas could only manage an eight-place finish in 2022 as they were quickly outdeveloped by the more well-funded teams, so it has been clear that Haas has been scrapping for funds in recent years.

Haas haven’t reached the heights they wanted to (Image: Getty Images

The loss of Steiner was the second in a short notice for the American team; Simone Resta, Haas’ F1 technical director, was also sent packing because of a disagreement with Gene Haas. Resta was originally a member of Ferrari but was given to the customer team as a part of a deal in 2021. Resta helped with the team’s development in 2022, which saw them finish in their highest position since 2018.

Steiner’s departure from the team left an open space in the team’s infrastructure and Haas seeking a quick replacement for the top spot. Ayao Komatsu, Director of Engineering for Haas F1 Team, was promoted to team principal for the upcoming seasons.

Komatsu has over 20 years of experience in Formula 1, working in engineering and management roles in teams such as British American Racing, Renault and Haas.

Komatsu will be taking responsibility for the team’s overall strategy and development. Haas has instructed Komatsu to maximise the team’s potential through employee empowerment, structural process, and efficiency.

Komatsu will be team principal (Image: Getty Images)

Gene Haas, Owner of Haas F1 Team, said: “Moving forward as an organisation, it was clear we need to improve our on-track performances. In appointing Ayao Komatsu as Team Principal, we fundamentally have engineering at the heart of our management. “We have had some successes, but we must consistently deliver results that help us reach our

broader goals as an organisation. We need to be efficient with the resources we have, but improving our design and engineering capability is crucial to our success as a team.

“I’m looking forward to working with Ayao and ensuring that we maximise our potential- this truly reflects my desire to compete properly in Formula 1.”