Guenther Steiner has left Haas with quick impact forward of the 2024 F1 season after the workforce’s disappointing performances.
Ayao Komatsu has been promoted from director of engineering to workforce principal forward of the brand new season, which begins with the Bahrain Grand Prix – dwell on Sky Sports activities F1 from February 28 to March 2.
Steiner has been accountable for Haas for the reason that workforce joined F1 in 2016 however the American outfit have struggled in latest seasons.
Sky Sports activities Information understands Steiner’s contract was not renewed after it expired on the finish of 2023 because the Italian and the workforce had completely different visions on the longer term.
“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,” mentioned Haas proprietor Gene Haas.
“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.”
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Kevin Magnussen introduced out a pink flag after taking a spin into the obstacles throughout closing follow for the Dutch GP – a lot to the anger of Guenther Steiner
Reacting to the shock information in a put up on X, Kevin Magnussen, who initially drove for the workforce in 2017-2020 earlier than returning in 2022, thanked Steiner for twice signing him and mentioned that the years had “been both fun and tremendously challenging – but never boring”.
Haas completed final within the Constructors’ Championship in 2021 with Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin as their drivers, earlier than enhancing to eighth the next yr, however fell to the again of the grid in 2023 regardless of the expertise of Nico Hulkenberg and Magnussen.
Hulkenberg’s seventh place in Australia was the spotlight of final yr for Haas, together with Magnussen’s three tenth place finishes.
Steiner’s time in F1 involves an finish
Steiner labored in F1 lengthy earlier than Haas, first as managing director of Jaguar between 2001 and 2003, and through the early Pink Bull years as technical operations director from 2005.
In 2016, Haas, led by Steiner, joined F1 and made an affect immediately as Romain Grosjean completed sixth within the workforce’s first race.
They completed eighth within the Constructors’ Championship of their first two seasons and their greatest marketing campaign got here in 2018 the place they ended the yr in fifth.
Guenther Steiner spent eight seasons accountable for the Haas F1 workforce
Grosjean took fourth place on the 2018 Austrian Grand Prix with Magnussen in fifth, which stays the workforce’s greatest outcome. Steiner turned successful with F1 followers on Netlix’s Drive to Survive as his usually flamboyant character was beloved by the brand new viewers that realized extra concerning the sport.
Nonetheless, outcomes on the observe had been largely disappointing for Haas from 2019 and Steiner’s eight seasons in cost got here to an finish on Wednesday.
“We have had some successes, but we need to be consistent in delivering results that help us reach our wider goals as an organisation,” continued Haas.
“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. I’m looking forward to working with Ayao and fundamentally ensuring that we maximise our potential – this truly reflects my desire to compete properly in Formula 1.”
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Relive the ten most dramatic crashes from the 2023 System 1 season
An enormous problem forward for Komatsu
Komatsu has been concerned in motorsport since 2003, first with British American Racing (BAR), Renault and Lotus then Haas.
He was Grosjean’s race engineer at Lotus through the Frenchman’s most profitable years in F1 throughout 2012 and 2013.
When Grosjean joined Haas in 2016, Komatsu adopted as his chief race engineer. The 47-year-old will now oversee all competitors parts of the enterprise as workforce principal together with the workforce’s general technique and on-track efficiency.
Ayao Komatsu is Haas’ new workforce principal for 2024
A European-based chief working officer can even be appointed to handle all non-competition issues and departments at Haas’ Banbury facility.
“I’m naturally very excited to have the opportunity to be team principal at MoneyGram Haas F1 team,” acknowledged Komatsu.
“Having been with the workforce since its observe debut again in 2016 I am clearly passionately invested in its success in System 1. I am trying ahead to main our program and the varied aggressive operations internally to make sure we will construct a construction that produces improved on-track performances.
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Sky Sports activities’ Craig Slater met with former Haas workforce principal Guenther Steiner for Christmas lunch to speak all issues F1
“We are a performance-based business. We obviously haven’t been competitive enough recently which has been a source of frustration for us all.
“We’ve superb help from Gene and our varied companions, and we need to mirror their enthusiasm with an improved on-track product. We’ve an awesome workforce of individuals throughout Kannapolis, Banbury and Maranello and collectively I do know we will obtain the form of outcomes we’re able to.”
24 races in 2024! Watch each spherical of subsequent season dwell on Sky Sports activities F1, beginning with the Bahrain Grand Prix from February 29-March 2. Stream each F1 race and extra with a NOW Sports activities Month Membership
