Team principal Guenther Steiner departs Haas F1 team
Guenther Steiner, the charismatic Formula One team principal, has departed from his post at Haas.
The American racing team made the announcement Wednesday morning and confirmed director of engineering Ayao Komatsu would be promoted into Steiner's vacant role.
"Moving forward as an organization it was clear we needed to improve our on-track performances," owner Gene Haas said in a statement. "In appointing Ayao Komatsu as Team Principal we fundamentally have engineering at the heart of our management."
While Haas's statement is true, technical director Simone Resta is expected to depart along with Steiner, leaving a key engineering role open within the organization.
Haas is the youngest of the 10 teams competing in F1. It joined F1 in 2016; by contrast, Haas's partner Ferrari has been a part of F1 since the founding of the series in 1950. Steiner has been Haas's team principal since its first race at the 2016 Australian Grand Prix.
Haas has struggled for consistency on the track during its eight-year tenure. It finished as high as fifth in the Constructor's Championship in 2018 but sank all the way to last in 2021 and 2023.
Throughout Haas's struggles, Steiner's forthright personality, endless cursing and meme-able moments kept the team flush with new fans.
Steiner was the breakout star of Netflix's "Formula 1: Drive to Survive," a documentary meant to capture what life was like for members of F1's famous "traveling circus." The show — and Guenther's performance within it — has been credited with increasing America's interest in F1.
Preseason testing for the 2024 F1 season will begin in Bahrain on Feb. 21. The season will open with the Bahrain Grand Prix shortly thereafter on March 2.
More must-reads: