Guenther Steiner SACKED by Haas F1 teamMichael
There 58-year-old was a popular figure in the paddock and rose to fame after starring in the Netflix series Drive to Survive.
Steiner was the star of the show and was known for his profanity. He has been with the team since the first F1 season in 2016.
He will be replaced by Ayao Komatsu, who has been promoted to technical director. Steiner’s departure was unexpected and reportedly prevented the team from reaching the Constructors’ Championship final last season.
Team owner Gene Haas has been frustrated by the lack of progress since joining Formula 1. However, counter-arguments were raised that the team was too underinvested compared to its American rivals.
Gene Haas: “First of all, I would like to thank Günter Steiner for his hard work over the last 10 years. We wish him the best of luck in the future. “It was clear that we needed to improve our performance to move forward as an organization.
“By appointing Ayao Komatsu as team leader, we have fundamentally placed technology at the heart of our operations. “We have had some successes, but as an organization we must continue to deliver results that help us achieve our wider goals.
“We need to make the most of the resources we have, but improving our design and engineering capabilities is key to our team’s success. “I look forward to working with Ayao to maximize our potential. This truly demonstrates my desire to compete well in F1.”
Steiner spent more than 22 years in F1 in various management roles. Credit: Splash
Steiner’s departure comes ahead of the new F1 season, which starts in Bahrain on March 2.
Komatsu, 47, who has 20 years’ experience in F1, has been tasked with taking over and managing the Banbury-based team. He added: “I am delighted to have the opportunity to become Team Principal for the MoneyGram Haas F1 Team.
“Having been with the team since its inception in 2016, I am very passionate about its success in F1. “I look forward to managing our programs and internal competitive activities to ensure we build a structure that delivers great results going forward.
“We are a performance-oriented company. We haven’t been competitive lately, which is disappointing for all of us.
