A big change is coming at Haas F1 Team for 2024.
The team announced on Wednesday that team principal [autotag]Guenther Steiner[/autotag], who has served in that role for Haas since the team’s inception in 2016, has been relieved of his duties. The move comes after a 2023 season where Haas scored 12 points and finished last in the Formula 1 World Driver’s Championship.
Owner Gene Haas spoke on the decision Wednesday, thanking Steiner for his contributions to the team but insinuating that the team’s goals have not been met.
“I’d like to start by extending my thanks to Guenther Steiner for all his hard work over the past decade and I wish him well for the future,” Haas said in a statement. “We have had some successes, but we need to be consistent in delivering results that help us reach our wider goals as an organization. We need to be efficient with the resources we have but improving our design and engineering capability is key to our success as a team.”
BREAKING: Guenther Steiner to leave Haas F1 Team effective immediately
Ayao Komatsu will replace Steiner as Team Principal #F1 @HaasF1Team pic.twitter.com/9kx1ho4H28
— Formula 1 (@F1) January 10, 2024
Steiner will be succeeded by Ayao Komatsu, who previously served as Haas’ Director of Engineering. The move comes as Haas looks to center in on the engineering side of the team, and Komatsu has over 20 years of engineering experience in F1.
“Moving forward as an organization, 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,” Haas said in his statement. “I’m looking forward to working with Ayao and fundamentally ensuring that we maximize our potential – this truly reflects my desire to compete properly in Formula 1.”
Steiner was particularly noteworthy among F1 fans for his appearances on Netflix’s Drive to Survive series, where he often showed off his flamboyant personality.
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