Haas insider opens up on the ‘fear and terror’ Guenther Steiner spread in F1 team

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Guenther Steiner oversaw the birth and breakthrough of Haas as a Formula 1 team, but an insider has now opened up on the ‘terror’ that Ayao Komatsu has since removed.

Owner, Gene Haas, opted to promote Komatsu to the position of team principal this January to replace Steiner in charge. Haas had already elected to see Steiner’s contract expire at the end of 2023, so turned to their director of engineering to head Haas F1 Team going forward.

Steiner had led Haas since 2014 when he joined the American-owned project to help lay the foundations for their F1 debut in 2016. But after stomaching the second-worst season in the team’s history in 2023, owner Haas decided that it was time to have new life at the very top.

Ayao Komatsu removed the ‘fear and terror’ Guenther Steiner spread at Haas F1 Team

Haas finished the 2023 season last in the constructors’ championship with a mere 12 points after 22 Grand Prix and six F1 Sprint events. Only in 2021 when Haas failed to claim a single point had they endured a worse term. But Komatsu has already overseen 31 points in 2024.

Largely thanks to Nico Hulkenberg scoring 24 points through 18 Grand Prix plus three Sprint events to date this term, Haas have bounced back from last season’s troubles. Komatsu has even helped Haas seal a technical partnership with Toyota for its return to F1 after 15 years.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Haas F1 Team from team principal to Ferrari and Toyota partnerships

But an unnamed figure inside the Haas team has also now told F1 Insider that Komatsu has removed the ‘fear and terror’ that Steiner spread inside the outfit. As their plight got worse, Steiner’s hot-headed manner left Haas’ designers and engineers on edge fearing a mistake.

“With Steiner, everyone was afraid of making mistakes,” the Haas insider noted. “He spread fear and terror with his choleric nature. Komatsu brought back the motivation in everyone and with it, the upturn.”

Gene Haas will feel Ayao Komatsu proves his decision to sack Guenther Steiner was right

Komatsu being Haas’ team principal is a key reason why Toyota has agreed to return to F1 as their technical partner. He has been a logical and hardworking leader since replacing Steiner, whose mannerisms which created fear would have likely clashed with how Toyota operates.

Steiner also clashed with owner Haas, who the fired team principal has recently branded as ‘cheap’ after informing the Italian-American that he was sacked over a phone call whilst in a supermarket. It marked a bitter end to their relationship and Steiner’s involvement at Haas.

But owner Haas will feel what Komatsu has accomplished since replacing Steiner has shown he made the right decision. The team are on the rise after a frustrating 2023 campaign, and Haas will revel in Komatsu securing a partnership with the world’s largest car manufacturer.