Haas owner Gene Haas has admitted his “biggest concern” following Guenther Steiner’s exit is that the 2024 F1 challenger must be “ready to go” in Bahrain.
Haas issued a bombshell statement on Wednesday, January 10, confirming Steiner’s departure from the team with immediate effect, with Steiner having played a key role in the team since Haas joined the grid.
But he distinguished himself even before his debut in 2016, securing the backing of Gene Haas and key technical partnerships with Ferrari and Dallara that enabled the team to continue racing in F1 to this day.
Gene Haas nervously waits for the 2024 F1 Bahrain opening race
The clock is ticking towards the start of the 2024 F1 campaign, with three days of pre-season testing in Bahrain beginning on February 21st. The season begins next weekend.
Technical director Simone Resta was also leaving Haas, which was confirmed on the same day as Steiner’s departure, so Gene Haas’ main concern was whether VF-24 would be operational by then. I can understand that.
“My biggest concern is that when I go to Bahrain, I need to show up with a car that is ready to go,” he said in an interview with the F1 website.
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At the same time as Steiner’s retirement announcement, Haas also approved the appointment of Ayao Komatsu, long-time trackside engineering director, as new team principal.
Gene Haas said Steiner was a personable person but hoped Komatsu could offer a more technical approach, with the team finishing bottom of the constructors’ championship in 2023 with just 12 points. I went back to .
“We looked internally to see who had the most experience,” Haas said of the decision to give Komatsu the team principal position. “Ayao has been with the team since day one and knows every nook and cranny of the team.
“Maybe we could take a more managed, engineering approach, but let’s see if that would be beneficial.
“I think Günther had a more human approach to everything he did with people and how he interacted with people. He was very good at that. We think about things based on: Here’s what we’re doing wrong and where we can improve.
“It’s a different approach. We haven’t been doing that well, so we really need something different. It all goes back to the eight years we last died. I can’t say anything more about that.”
Haas also plans to appoint a chief operating officer to assist Komatsu with handling non-competitive off-course duties.
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