One Guenther Steiner facet ‘didn’t go down well’ with Gene Haas before F1 exit

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Sky Sports F1 commentator David Croft believes one thing about Guenther Steiner ‘did not go down well’ with Haas Formula 1 team owner Gene Haas before the Italian’s exit.

The American-owned squad announced on Wednesday that Steiner had left his role as team principal ahead of the 2024 season. Haas have also promoted Ayao Komatsu from his role as the team’s director of engineering to take over the helm from Steiner with immediate effect.

Steiner had overseen Haas’ efforts since the team joined the F1 grid back in 2016. But Gene Haas has decided to make a change following their disappointing campaign in 2023. Steiner was out of contract at the end of last year, so Haas decided against offering him a new deal.

Ayao Komatsu replaces Guenther Steiner as Haas’ F1 team principal

Reports by Sky Sports, to which Croft spoke with about Steiner’s exit, note that Haas felt the Italian engineer and the team had different visions for the future. Last season returned their joint-worst finish in the constructors’ championship after ending 2023 in 10th and last place.

Only when Haas failed to score a single point during 2021 had the team previously finished a season bottom of the standings. They scored just 12 points in 2023 to fall from eighth during 2022. Steiner oversaw Haas’ best finish so far during 2018 when they ended the year in fifth.

Sauber-run Alfa Romeo, now called Stake F1 Team, ended the 2023 F1 season in ninth, four points better off than Haas. Nico Hulkenberg scored nine of the American-owned team’s 12 points to Kevin Magnussen’s three. The pair finished one and three Grand Prix in the points.

David Croft thinks Guenther Steiner’s popularity irked Gene Haas

Croft also notes that Haas regularly showed their most promise in qualifying during 2023 as Hulkenberg reached Q3 eight times. The German even took second at the Canadian GP but started in P5 due to a grid penalty. Yet he would finish the race in 15th and one lap behind.

But the Sky Sports F1 commentator also feels the attention Steiner got from F1’s fans might have irked Gene Haas. The 58-year-old became a cult hero through the Netflix series, ‘Drive to Survive’. So, Haas may have taken issue with Steiner having a fanbase instead of his team.

“It is Gene Haas’ team and Guenther Steiner was getting the lion’s share of the attention,” Croft has told Sky Sports. “I’m sure that didn’t go down hugely well with the team owner.

“But that’s no reason to get rid of somebody. Their performance on track last year might have been part of the picture, as well.

“[Haas were] great on a Saturday in terms of the way Nico Hulkenberg managed to get into the top 10 in qualifying. But part of the reason for their great qualifying performances undermined their performance on the track on a Sunday.”