Komatsu Hasn't Exchanged Word With Steiner Ever Since He Became Team Principal
F1
The new team principal of the Haas F1 team, Ayao Komatsu, has not been in contact with Guenther Steiner ever since his departure despite a very good relationship.
Guenther Steiner learned his contract would not be prolonged between 2023 Christmas and 2024 New Year's Eve. At the beginning of January 2024, it was officially announced that Ayao Komatsu would replace him.
The new team principal has previously worked quite closely with Steiner. But when the media asked him whether he had been in contact with the Italian ever since his departure, he said:
"We haven't said anything at the moment. Gunter is not a bad person at all. In fact, I think I might be the more unfeeling person."
Steiner has been credited for having a personal and direct approach that his employees loved. He was fun to be around, but also a serious person, and people around him always knew if they were doing good or bad.
The Japanese engineer mentioned he used to go to dinners with the former team principal of the American team. He explained:
"He took very good care of me, was a very kind person, and we went out to dinner many times. Of course, he sometimes talked about work while eating, but as a friend, he often talked about his family and didn't talk about work."
It was suggested the former team principal didn't even get a chance to say goodbye to anybody in his team. Komatsu asserted it was a shame as the two were quite good friends.
"We both like delicious food, so when we found a restaurant that looked good, we were like, 'Okay, let's go there.' It was a shame that Günther had to leave the team like this, as the relationship was more than just a boss and subordinate."
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