At Haas, 2024 is full of uncertainty. After the news of the farewell of Simone subtraction, former technical director of the American team, due to alleged differences with owner Gene Haas, another rumor is stirring the environment. The first rumors from the paddock suggested another name in the balance besides that of Resta. A detail, noticed by fans, coming from none other than the Haas website, then represented a rather important clue. In this case, however, we are talking about an even more relevant name, that of Gunther Steiner, historic Haas team principal, alongside Gene Haas.
On the Haas website, the page relating to Steiner disappeared in the early afternoon and everyone immediately asked themselves: has Steiner really left the team? Well, the answer has finally arrived. In fact, the team has just made official Steiner's farewell and the promotion of Ayao Komatsu as new Team Principal. Steiner's farewell would have coincided with the expiry of the contract of the Italian-American team principal who did everything to recover the fortunes of a team on the verge of bankruptcy.
The team and Steiner divorced after nearly 10 years of living together.
Steiner is no longer the team principal, in his place Ayao Komatsu
After a difficult year that relegated the team to tenth place as constructors, collecting only 12 points in 22 races with Magnussen and Hulkenberg, there seems to have been a definitive break between Haas and Steiner management. A few weeks before the start of the championship the team therefore made a decision for 2024 to change and entrust the team to a man who has been present in the team for several years. Ayao Komatsu, has been with the team since its debut season in 2016, starting as Race Engineer, up to his most recent promotion as Team Principal. Komatsu will take responsibility for the team's overall strategy and ultimately on-track performance, with the goal of maximizing the team's potential through employee empowerment, process structure and efficiency.
