"It all came down to performance”. Gene Haas talk like this of Guenther's farewell Steiner who, through an official statement on January 10th, was fired from American stable. The decision was born, based on rumors, by gods results – those of 2022 and especially 2023 – which they were not in line with expectations. The team boss himself, Gene Haas, tells the story better in an exclusive interview granted to the Formula 1 website: "We are in our eighth year and have held more than 160 races without ever getting a podium. In the last two years we have finished tenth and ninth. I don't want to point fingers and say it's all Steiner's fault – explained Gene Haas – but I think we are arrived at the right point to be able to change and try a different solution, also because continuing with what we had doesn't seem to be working".
Gene Haas on Steiner's departure: “I needed to change”
At Haas, even with Resta's departure, 2024 will be full of changes. At the basis of everything are the results, considered really too disappointing: “guenther – says Haas – I've always liked him, especially as a person: she's really nice and has a really good personality. We had a difficult end to the year. I honestly can't really figure out what actually went wrong. These kinds of questions are for Steiner, not me. At the end of the day, though, ultimately we always talk about performance".
Space for Komatsu
Clear and precise line: a change was needed. In Steiner's place, there will be Komatsu, director of engineering in the 2023 season.”Ayao is very technical and knows how to analyze things based on statistics – explained Haas –. This element can be our advantage, as I think not knowing how to read this information has been our shortcoming in recent years. We are obviously talking about a different approach to work, but one which, in my opinion, will work".
