Sky F1 co-commentator and former F1 driver Martin Brundle suggested in his recent tweet there might be some friction in Guenther Steiner's departure from Haas.
The silly season started yesterday with an unexpected team principal change at Haas. The American team announced Guenther Steiner would be replaced by Ayao Komatsu.
Moreover, the press release from the team stated that Steiner would be "departing the organization with immediate effect," meaning he would no longer be part of the Haas team at all.
Some people would call it a sacking. However, Craig Slater suggested on Sky F1 podcast that the team principal's contract with his team has ended and was just not prolonged, so it would not be the correct term to use.
Nevertheless, it seems to be a strange move from the team leaders to suddenly remove a team principal who has been the mastermind behind putting the whole team together from the beginning.
The 58-year-old was not even quoted in the press release and did not consequently get a chance to say goodbye to his team. Martin Brundle suspects this indicates friction, as he wrote on X (formerly Twitter):
"Always significant when the departing person is not quoted in the press release, tells you there’s friction, suspect we’ll hear more about this."
Steiner has been a very dominant figure in F1, and the Haas team was mainly known for their team principal. While the reason for Steiner's departure is still unclear, there are some suspicions.
Slater said the team principal disagreed with the owner of the team, Gene Haas, on the future direction of the team. The former team principal apparently wanted more investment.
The 2023 season has been the second worst in the history of the team. Haas finished last, and while Steiner suggested his team might be at the top of the midfield in 2024, he no longer has influence over their results. Bundle added:
"The team hasn’t progressed in recent seasons, but hard to know exactly why without being on the inside. Good luck Guenther. And Haas."
Always significant when the departing person is not quoted in the press release, tells you there’s friction, suspect we’ll hear more about this. The team hasn’t progressed in recent seasons, but hard to know exactly why without being on the inside. Good luck Guenther. And Haas
BREAKING: Guenther Steiner has left Haas with immediate effect ahead of the 2024 F1 season after the team's disappointing performances ⬇
