F1 team announce shock departure of LEGEND ahead of 2024 season

Haas F1 Team have bid farewell to long-term leader Guenther Steiner and welcomed Ayao Komatsu as their new team principal.

The transition marks the end of Steiner's decade-long tenure, with Komatsu stepping into the role from his previous position as director of engineering.

The ever-popular Steiner oversaw the squad's initial entry into F1 in 2016 and contributed significantly to its development as a competitive force.

His tenure was marked by some notable successes and inherent challenges, culminating in a 10th-placed finish in the 2023 constructors' championship.

Who is the new team principal of the Haas F1 team?

Steiner's replacement, Komatsu, boasts over 20 years of F1 experience, having commenced his career at BAR and later played a pivotal role at Renault.

As the newly appointed team principal, Komatsu takes the reins of all competition-related aspects, with a focus on strategic planning and on-track performance.

“I’m naturally very excited to have the opportunity to be team principal at MoneyGram Haas F1 Team,” Komatsu said in a statement regarding his appointment. “Having been with the team since its track-debut back in 2016 I’m obviously passionately invested in its success in Formula 1.

"I’m looking forward to leading our program and the various competitive operations internally to ensure we can build a structure that produces improved on-track performances.

“We are a performance-based business,” Komatsu continued. “We obviously haven’t been competitive enough recently which has been a source of frustration for us all.

"We have amazing support from Gene [Haas] and our various partners, and we want to mirror their enthusiasm with an improved on-track product. We have a great team of people across Kannapolis, Banbury and Maranello and together I know we can achieve the kind of results we’re capable of.”

When did Guenther Steiner join Haas?

Although Haas didn't join the Formula 1 grid until their official entry in the 2016 season, Steiner was confirmed as the team principal back in 2014 as the team prepared for their F1 bow under the overall leadership of Gene Haas

The Haas owner thanked Steiner for his work and insisted that the team were looking forward to the future under Komatsu's leadership.

“I’d like to start by extending my thanks to Guenther Steiner for all his hard work over the past decade and I wish him well for the future,” added team owner Gene Haas.

“Moving forward as an organisation it was clear we need to improve our on-track performances. In appointing Ayao Komatsu as team principal we fundamentally have engineering at the heart of our management.

MoneyGram Haas F1 Team has appointed Ayao Komatsu as its new Team Principal with Guenther Steiner departing the organization.#HaasF1

— MoneyGram Haas F1 Team (@HaasF1Team) January 10, 2024

“We have had some successes, but we need to be consistent in delivering results that help us reach our wider goals as an organisation. We need to be efficient with the resources we have but improving our design and engineering capability is key to our success as a team. I’m looking forward to working with Ayao and fundamentally ensuring that we maximise our potential – this truly reflects my desire to compete properly in Formula 1.”

READ MORE: Steiner picks F1 legend to join Haas but snubs Verstappen

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