Why did Haas sack Guenther Steiner and what’s next for F1’s only American team?

The Formula 1 paddock was shocked to hear the news of Guenther Steiner‘s departure from the Haas F1 team. The 58-year-old had been the one who managed to bring Gene Haas‘ F1 ambitions to reality. However, the American outfit has struggled for almost its entire stint at the pinnacle of motorsport. Subsequently, Steiner was ousted from the squad ahead of the 2024 F1 season.

On January 10, the Haas F1 team announced that Guenther Steiner was being replaced by Ayao Komatsu as the new Team Principal. The American team posted quotes from Gene Haas and Komatsu. However, there was no comment from Steiner. This hinted that tensions had risen between the 58-year-old and the team owner in the past few weeks.

The American team had failed to bring in results in the past couple of seasons despite putting all its resources into the ground-effect regulations. The 2023 season was a frustrating one for Haas as the team had a decent one-lap pace but fell far behind in the race. Nico Hulkenberg achieved some remarkable qualifying results. However, this was to no avail as the German had no pace on Sundays.

It is no surprise that Gene Haas might not have been happy with a lack of progress in 2023. Guenther Steiner and his team failed to make progress during the season. Only a single major upgrade package was introduced which in turn did not achieve the desired targets. Subsequently, the team could benefit from new leadership which could lead it to a new direction.

Gene Haas did not want to invest in infrastructure

The Haas F1 team is one of the more modest outfits on the current grid. Despite having three bases in three different countries, the American team has a small staff count compared to its rivals. As Gene Haas’ squad relies heavily on its partnerships. However, Guenther Steiner understood the importance of better infrastructure for the squad. The Italian-American urged Haas to bring in more funds for investment in facilities.

However, as per reports, this caused a rift between Gene Haas and Steiner. The 71-year-old was convinced that the team simply needed to be more effective with its current equipment and staff. This disagreement is believed to be the root cause of Guenther Steiner’s departure from a team he helped build from scratch.

It must be noted that Haas Technical Director Simone Resta left Haas simply hours before Steiner’s exit. Resta was also rumored to be in an argument with Gene Haas over the team’s direction and decided to end his tenure. The ex-Ferrari Chief Designer was on loan from the Italian team and worked at Haas’ Italy base.

Guenther Steiner was the man who made the Haas F1 team a reality

Gene Haas had a number of conditions for entering F1. However, the 71-year-old’s plans virtually came to a standstill when his plans of running Ferrari customer cars were ruled out. Guenther Steiner managed to bring in innovative solutions to make the Haas F1 team a reality.

The 58-year-old formed a technical alliance with Ferrari to acquire all non-listed parts. Moreover, Steiner made a deal with Dallara for the design of the chassis. This ensured that Haas did a few expensive activities in-house and relied mostly on the expertise of its partners.

Certainly, this enabled Haas to make some decent progress in 2017 and 2018 when Ferrari challenged Mercedes for the world title. However, Gene Haas was reluctant to fund the team when it fell down the pecking order. Guenther Steiner managed to keep the team afloat during difficult times such as the Covid-19 pandemic.

Moreover, the 58-year-old made the bold call to sign two rookie drivers in 2021 as it would secure some much-needed funding. However, it seems that it is time for Steiner to leave. As the American team has failed to make the desired progress in the last couple of seasons. Moreover, the difference in vision between Haas and Steiner served as the last straw in this relationship.

What is next for F1’s only American team?

A few weeks before the start of the 2024 F1 season, Haas seems to be in total disarray. The American team lost its Technical Director right before pre-season testing and is now with a new Team Principal as well. This puts Haas in a tough spot for the upcoming season. The departure of Simone Resta hints that the 2024 Haas car might not have achieved the desired targets.

Gene Haas’ squad found itself stuck with an underperforming car concept last season and this might continue in 2024. This would severely hurt the team’s prospects as it presently has no replacement for Resta. Subsequently, it could take a few months before Haas could fix its underlying technical issues. Moreover, it seems that the team will not receive any major infrastructure investments anytime soon.

The appointment of Ayao Komatsu could lead the team to a new direction. The former Renault engineer has worked in the paddock for almost two decades and knows all aspects of Haas. However, the team would need to go through a complete reset right before the start of the season with no time to prepare. As such, fans could expect to see Haas have a rough few rounds in the first half of the year.

Nico Hulkenberg has been vocal about the team’s shortcomings in the past few months. The German driver was contacted by Alfa Romeo (now Stake F1 team) for a 2024 drive. However, Haas used an option in the contract to retain the 36-year-old. Nevertheless, Steiner’s departure could influence Hulkenberg’s future. The former Le Mans winner might decide to sign with Stake for 2025 if the American team struggles with instability this year.

Certainly, Haas fans might not be thrilled with the current state of F1’s only American team. Ayao Komatsu will have a lot of work to do to ensure that things get back on track before the season commences. However, it would be an uphill task for the Haas F1 team to try and move up from last place in the pecking order.

In case you missed it:

• $2.5 billion worth team owner admits he is ’embarrassed’ by Haas F1 teams performance after sacking Guenther Steiner
• WATCH: F1 pundits claim F1 lost a ‘massive character’ after Guenther Steiner’s exit from Haas