There's some huge news in Formula One, as Haas F1, the American Formula One team, has made a major change in its leadership. Guenther Steiner, who has been with the team since owner Gene Haas first ventured into the series in 2016, is out at the team.
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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
His contract was up for renewal at the end of 2023, and Haas chose not to extend it, so Steiner is no longer a part of Haas F1.
After a poor performance by the whole team in 2023 — it finished 10th in the Constructors Championship, last of all teams — the team decided to go in a new direction, naming Ayao Komatsu as Haas F1's new team principal.
Steiner was key in building a relationship between Haas and Ferrari, the team's engine supplier, but Haas F1's lack of success didn't help him in the end.
According to Adam Cooper from Motorsport.com, Komatsu will be tasked with the team's strategy and on-track performance. In a statement by the team, it noted that he will have "a brief to maximize the team's potential through employee empowerment and structural process and efficiency."
Haas made it clear that his focus is on improving the performance of the team, and that he wished Steiner well.
"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. "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. 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 F1."
Komatsu was one of the many major additions to Haas when it first debuted in 2016, where he served as a chief race engineer. In being named team principal, Komatsu also becomes the sport's first Japanese team principal of a European-based team.
He talked to Racer.com about the opportunity to lead the team he has been a part of for so long now, and his strong desire to get back to the competitive level he knows it can achieve.
"I'm naturally very excited to have the opportunity to be team principal at MoneyGram Haas F1 Team," Komatsu said. "Having been with the team since its track debut back in 2016, I'm obviously passionately invested in its success in Formula 1. I'm looking forward to leading our program and the various competitive operations internally to ensure we can build a structure that produces improved on-track performances."
That seems to have been a message at Haas's other major racing team, NASCAR's Stewart-Haas Racing. Haas has work to do in 2024 across both organizations, but the passion and drive to succeed is there.
