Source: REUTERS/DARRON CUMMINGS
[Saba Sports News] Following his dismissal by team owner Gene Haas,
Guenther Steiner, the former team leader of the Haas F1 team, has spoken to the
media for the first time. In the official statement released by Haas, speeches
were given by Gene Haas and the new team leader, Ayao Komatsu. However,
Steiner’s own words about his departure were conspicuously absent, leading to
confusion among fans. In his recent interview, Steiner clarified the
circumstances surrounding his departure and shared his thoughts on the Haas
team. Steiner revealed that he received a phone call from Gene Haas between
Christmas and New Year’s, informing him that he would not be staying on as team
leader through 2024. There was no opportunity for face-to-face communication or
to bid farewell to the team’s employees and express gratitude for their support
and trust. With his dismissal, Steiner no longer represented the best interests
of the Haas F1 team, allowing him to speak openly about the team’s current
shortcomings. According to Steiner, the Haas F1 team maintains a philosophy of
purchasing as many parts, including the chassis, as possible, which results in
insufficient investment in research and development of their own components and
a lack of core technology. Steiner is unsure if the Haas team has plans to
change this approach in the near future. He emphasized that without significant
investment in infrastructure, it will be challenging for the team to gain a
competitive advantage against other teams. Steiner also highlighted how much
Formula 1 has changed over the past decade, with increased team incomes,
expanded competition scales, and the implementation of a budget cap. However,
the Haas team has continued to adhere to the practices it adopted when it first
entered F1 ten years ago, failing to keep up with the evolving landscape of the
sport. This, according to Steiner, is the fundamental difference between the
Haas F1 team and other teams.