(Motorsports news) The US-owned company revealed the shocking announcement on Wednesday, following a dismal 2023 season in which it placed 10th and last in the constructors’ World Championship. At the end of the season, Steiner’s contract was up for renewal; team owner Gene Haas chose not to renew it. Prior to Steiner’s departure, as was previously reported, the club also lost former technical director Simone Resta.
Steiner seems to have paid the price for last year’s subpar performance. Steiner developed the idea for an F1 team employing Ferrari technology and then obtained the finance from machine tool giant Haas with which to start it. It has long been known that Steiner and Haas have occasionally been at odds about the technical course to be taken. The division of the team into old and new aero packages during the final two races of 2023 was a clear public indication of their disagreements.
Essentially, Steiner was requesting additional funding to try and match competitors who are massively investing in modernized manufacturing facilities, while Haas preferred to concentrate on optimizing the resources that his team now possesses. The team’s share of the F1 prize money is significantly reduced as a result of the team’s fall to 10th place, and Haas will have to contribute more to the running budget for 2024 than he may have anticipated, thereby reducing his margin for facility investments.
Conversely, the likes of Williams, Sauber, and AlphaTauri have committed to more spending during the build-up to the 2026 regulation changes by taking use of the increased capex limit granted by the FIA. Komatsu will be in charge of the squad’s strategy and on-track performance, according to the team. He would have “a brief to maximise the team’s potential through employee empowerment and structural process and efficiency,” according to a statement.
The new chief operational officer, who would likely be stationed at the UK site in Banbury and concentrate on non-racing activities, will provide organizational and commercial support to Komatsu. Owner Haas has stated unequivocally that he wants to see the team perform better. “I want to thank Guenther Steiner for all of his hard work over the last ten years and I hope the best for him going forward,” he said.
It is evident that as an organization, we must enhance our on-track performances in order to progress. Ayao Komatsu’s appointment as team principal reflects our management philosophy, which places engineering at its core. “Although we have seen some success, we must continue to produce outcomes that support our organization’s larger objectives. While we must make effective use of the resources at our disposal, strengthening our team’s capacity for design and engineering is essential.
“I’m excited to collaborate with Ayao and make sure that we maximize our potential; this genuinely reflects my desire to compete in Formula One.” Komatsu became the first Japanese team principal of a European-based team in the sport when he joined the Banbury squad in 2016 as head racing engineer after leaving Renault. He remarked, “It goes without saying that I’m thrilled to be joining the MoneyGram Haas F1 Team as team principal.”
“I’ve been with the team since its 2016 track debut, so it goes without saying that I have a strong stake in its F1 success. I’m excited to take charge of our program and the different internal competitive activities to make sure we can create a structure that results in better on-track performances. We operate as a performance-based company. It’s clear that we haven’t been competitive enough lately, and this has frustrated us all.
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