In a statement released at the end of the day, Haas F1 Team announced with immediate effect, the departure of Günther Steiner, the team principal since 2016 and his very first race in Formula 1. He will be replaced by Ayao Komatsu, a Japanese.
« I would like to start by expressing my gratitude towards Günther Steiner for his hard work over the past decade, and I wish him the best for the future, » commented Gene Haas, owner of the Haas F1 team.
« As an organization, it was clear that we had to improve our performance on the track. By appointing Ayao Komatsu as the team principal, we are fundamentally placing engineering at the heart of our management, adds the owner.
We have achieved successes, but we must be consistent in obtaining results that help us achieve our broader goals as an organization. […] I am looking forward to working with Ayao and fundamentally ensuring that we maximize our potential – this truly reflects my desire to compete properly in Formula 1. », concludes Gene Haas.
Günther Steiner is therefore leaving the team of which he has been the director for eight years. He made the Haas team popular worldwide through his numerous media appearances and controversial interventions in Netflix’s “Drive To Survive” series. Steiner has been in F1 since 2001 and even released his autobiography, published in 2023, which refers to the series, titled “Surviving to Drive: A year inside Formula 1”. In it, he reveals behind-the-scenes insights into the life of a team manager.
Despite a promising fifth place in the constructors’ championship in 2018, Haas has not been able to surpass eighth place in the standings since then. The American team’s only feat was Kevin Magnussen’s unexpected pole position in Brazil in 2022, thanks to the sudden arrival of rain.
Ayao Komatsu, from track engineer to team director
Ayao Komatsu, like Günther Steiner, joined Haas right from its inception in 2016. The Japanese worked as a track engineer for Romain Grosjean initially, and then climbed the ranks to become the Director of Engineering. He will now have the challenging task of leading the Kannapolis team.
« The main person involved has shown himself to be extremely honored. I am naturally very excited to have the opportunity to be the team principal of the team at Haas F1 Team, » said Ayao Komatsu, the new team principal of Haas F1.
« Being with the team since its inception in 2016, I am obviously passionately invested in its Formula 1 success. I look forward to leading our program and various competitive operations internally to ensure that we can build a structure that produces improved performance on track, says the Japanese.
« We are a performance-driven company, » Komatsu continued. « Obviously, we have not been competitive enough recently, which has been a source of frustration for all of us. […] We have an excellent team of people in Kannapolis, Banbury, and Maranello, and together, I know we can achieve the kind of results we are capable of. »
After a catastrophic 2023 season and finishing last in the constructor championship, and on the eve of the unveiling of their 2024 car, Haas decides to shake up its organizational structure in search of better results.
