Seven weeks before the start of the new Formula One season, the dynamic team principal has managed the American-owned company since 2016.
However, he has departed the company. Ride to Survive was his cause. In a shocking statement, the American-owned Formula 1 team Haas announced that Guenther Steiner was leaving with immediate effect.
Former right-hand man and director of engineering Ayao Komatsu has taken over as team principal from the Italian-American, with the 47-year-old Japanese managing the squad’s daily operations.
The main architect of Gene Haas’ Formula One team was Steiner, 58. Haas made their Formula 1 début in 2016 and was led by Steiner to a highest finish of fifth in 2018.
The team had been looking for funding since the beginning of the 2010s. Steiner has dedicated the last ten years and more to the team; therefore, this statement, which comes just seven weeks before the 2024 F1 season, comes as a surprise.
Steiner is well-known for his colorful language and entertaining appearances on Netflix’s Drive to Survive. According to The Independent, Steiner and Haas disagreed over the best course of action for the team to resume fighting in the midfield.
Steiner, fifty-eight, was the principal designer of Gene Haas’s Formula One team. Haas debuted in Formula 1 in 2016 and had a best finish of fifth in 2018 under Steiner’s guidance. The group started searching for money in the early 2010s.
This announcement, which comes only seven weeks before the 2024 Formula One season, is unexpected given that Steiner has devoted the last ten years and more to the team. In addition to his colorful vocabulary, Steiner is well-known for his hilarious performances on Netflix’s Drive to Survive.
The Independent claims that Steiner and Haas couldn’t agree on how to get the players to start fighting in the middle of the pitch. Steiner himself did not appear in any of the official Haas press releases from Wednesday night.
Though Resta’s role was not disclosed, there have been rumors that the team’s technical director, Simone Resta, has also left. “Leader Haas of the team remarked, ‘I’d like to thank Guenther Steiner for all of his hard work over the past ten years and wish him well for the future.
It was evident that as a company, we must raise our on-track results going forward. Ayao Komatsu’s appointment as team principal reflects our management philosophy, which places engineering at its core.
Although we have seen some progress, we still need to consistently produce outcomes that advance our organization’s larger objectives.
“Although we must make effective use of the resources at our disposal, strengthening our team’s capacity for design and engineering is essential.
In order to effectively compete in Formula 1, I genuinely want to maximize our potential, and I’m looking forward to working with Ayao to make sure of that. It’s unclear at this point whether Steiner intends to leave the sport or partner up with another squad.
He is scheduled to make an appearance on Saturday at the auto expo Autosport International in Birmingham.
Also, he is scheduled to serve as a producer on a brand-new “single-camera workplace comedy” program on US television network CBS.
“Thanks, Guenther,” Haas driver Kevin Magnussen wrote on Twitter/X. I appreciate you starting this journey for me in 2017 and inviting me back in 2022.
It has never been monotonous and has been incredibly difficult as well as enjoyable. Best wishes and long live.”
A chief operational officer with a base in Europe will shortly be selected to oversee all non-competition affairs and departments, according to the press statement.
Having been a part of the team from its track debut in 2016, Komatsu expressed his passion for the team’s success in Formula 1.
I’m excited to take charge of our program and the different internal competitive activities to make sure we can create a framework that results in better on-track performances.Our company is performance-driven.
It’s clear that we haven’t been competitive enough lately, and this has frustrated us all.”Gene and our many partners have provided us with incredible support, and we hope to return the favor with a better, on-track product.
We have an excellent team in Kannapolis, Banbury, and Maranello, and I am confident that working together, we can accomplish the kind of outcomes we are capable of.
Despite the fact that the team finished last in the standings for the second time in three years, Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg were both kept on by Steiner as drivers following the 2023 season.
With the Bahrain Grand Prix on Saturday, March 2, the 2024 Formula One season gets underway.
