Gunther Steiner has confirmed his departure from Haas F1, attributing the move to a disagreement with the team’s owner on whether the small American outfit should pivot in its Formula 1 strategy.
Steiner, the team’s long-standing principal, acknowledges that Gene Haas’ call during the Christmas holidays “came out of nowhere” – leading to the owner informing him that his contract would not be renewed for 2024.
“It’s odd. You work with someone for ten years and then you get a call like that. He was not willing to embrace the direction I believed we should head in. And a few weeks later, the axe fell. But otherwise, I’m fine. I’m moving on, and that’s okay.”
Last year, Haas finished at the bottom of the constructors’ championship, primarily because its 2023 car excessively wore down its tires at an alarming rate during the Grand Prix events.
Steiner says he warned team owner Gene Haas that fundamental changes were necessary to avoid another fall to tenth place this season. Haas disagreed, leading to their split.
“Something had to change,” Steiner says.
“I’m not saying Haas did anything wrong, it’s just that everyone else did everything right. Formula 1 has evolved from what it was at the inception of Haas to what it has become over the last five years. It’s a completely different playing field now. All the teams are strong.”
“If you understand the sport, you just need to open your eyes and see what others are doing. And Haas isn’t doing that. At some point, this approach will get you nowhere. It’s simply no longer suitable.”
However, after two races in 2024, Haas has already scored a point – unlike Williams, Sauber, RB, and Alpine. But the harvest will be scant this year, according to Ayao Komatsu, Steiner’s successor.
“It’s like gold dust because we have five top teams, and the rest of us are fighting for tenth place in case there’s a retirement, as was the case with Lance Stroll,” said the Japanese.
“We are the smallest team, so I guess whatever we found in terms of lap time over the winter, the others have found it too. At a minimum.”
Steiner Haas F1 Departure. Steiner Haas F1 Departure.
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