There is no love lost for Guenther Steiner at Haas, and Ayao Komatsu made that clear when he called the Italian-American out for the mess they are in. Steiner, however, rubbished Komatsu’s claims and insisted that he should be thanked for the progress shown by Haas.
Steiner wasn’t aware of what Komatsu said about him until the hosts of the Red Flags Podcast read out the Japanese Team Principal’s quotes. Komatsu criticized Steiner for a lack of leadership and stated that he made excuses to cover up for mistakes.
Komatsu went as far as suggesting that the team’s struggles in 2023 were down to brushing issues from 2019 under the carpet.
Steiner was amused. He sarcastically called Komatsu a “genius” before laughing uncontrollably. “If he is going back to 2019, it was a different world,” he said. “So he doesn’t really know what he’s talking about.”
Steiner added that he openly admitted to Haas’ 2023 concept being faulty. And for that, he felt he deserved credit.
“It was admitted in June, and it was changed,” the former Haas boss stated. “And therefore, he should thank that [me]. Because that made it possible to have [a good car] in 2024.”
Steiner went on to praise the people who worked hard to make Haas better, and took a direct dig at Komatsu in the process.
Komatsu didn’t have anything to do with Haas’ resurgence
After a quiet 2023 season, Haas is back in the mix for points, and the future looks bright under Komatsu’s leadership. But Steiner revealed that his former chief engineer did not have anything to do with Haas’ good start to the 2024 campaign.
Stainer attributed the success to the people who worked hard in 2023. He then revealed why the team faced several issues with upgrades and development that year.
Back-to-back P6 finishes for @HulkHulkenberg and @HaasF1Team
What a run they’re having #F1 #BritishGP pic.twitter.com/hOV8rJu78G
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 8, 2024
“In 2022, there was no money to make upgrades. There was just no cash,” he said.
Regardless, Steiner is not at Haas anymore. So the face behind the Kannapolis-based outfit’s resurgence will be Komatsu’s. They are P7 with 27 points to their name, and have a realistic shot at fighting for sixth in the standings.
