Haas owner explains why he parted ways with Guenther Steiner

The departure of team principal Steiner on Wednesday was a surprise, with Ayao Komatsu replacing him

Haas F1 team owner Gene Haas insists he has “no interest in being 10^th anymore” as he explained why Guenther Steiner departed this week.

Steiner, who had been in charge of the American-owned team since their debut in F1 in 2016, left his role as team principal in a shock announcement on Wednesday.

The popular Italian-American, known for his X-rated outbursts on Netflix’s Drive to Survive, has been replaced by his former right-hand man Ayao Komatsu as team boss.

And owner Haas has now delved into the reasons why a change of direction was sought, following a disappointing 2023 campaign where they finished in last place for the second time in three years.

“It came down to performance,” Haas told the F1 website. “Here we are in our eighth year, over 160 races – we have never had a podium. The last couple of years, we’ve been 10^th or ninth.

“I’m not sitting here saying it’s Guenther’s fault, or anything like that, but it just seems like this was an appropriate time to make a change and try a different direction, because it doesn’t seem like continuing with what we had is really going to work.

“I like Guenther, he’s a really nice person, a really good personality. We had a tough end to the year. I don’t understand that, I really don’t. Those are good questions to ask Guenther, what went wrong.

“At the end of the day, it’s about performance. I have no interest in being 10^th anymore.”

Gene Haas (right) parted ways with Guenther Steiner earlier this week (Getty Images)

Haas added that the focus is now “all about winning”, imploring the team to perform better given the resources available, including an engine partnership with Ferrari.

“I’m embarrassed that we haven’t been able to do better with it [the Ferrari support]”, said Haas. “But going forward, I want to take advantage of good equipment that a lot of other teams don’t have.

“It’s really all about winning. We have a great team, we have great engines, we have really great drivers. There’s no reason why we are 10^th. I can’t understand how we can be with all the equipment and people we have.”

Komatsu’s first race in charge is the 2024 F1 season-opener in Bahrain on Saturday 2 March.