“Misunderstanding of What an F1 Team Needs”: Gene Haas Criticized for His Guenther Steiner Axe ‘Justification’

As the dust begins to settle on Guenther Steiner’s departure from Haas, F1 journalists are trying to make sense of the saga that led to the extreme step. In one such attempt, Scott Mitchell-Malm talked about the disagreements between Steiner and team owner Gene Haas. While doing so, Mitchell-Malm criticized Haas’ understanding of the functioning of the team.

In a recent episode of The Race’s podcast, he discussed how the duo had very different expectations from each other. While Steiner felt that Haas should have shelled out more funds for the team’s expansion, Haas believed the team principal should have delivered better results with the resources at hand.

Scott said, “He [Gene Haas] thinks that Steiner’s team should have been doing more than what it already had. I personally think that is an oversimplification and a misunderstanding of what an F1 team needs. I can’t imagine what the last time was when Gene visited the Banbury base, for example. So, what does he know about how basic that facility is and how in need of improvements it is?”

The all-American F1 team has failed to stamp its authority in F1. Ever since its inception in 2016, Haas has finished no better than 8th in the championship, barring 2018 (5th). In two of those seasons, including the last year, the team finished in the bottom of the table. The man at the helm of it all was Steiner himself. In his statement following the 58-year-old’s departure, Gene admitted that he was not interested in finishing 10th anymore.

However, Scott’s question about Haas’ contribution to the team’s progress holds equal weight. Is the team owner ready to shell out more to ensure better facilities at the factory? Incidentally, Steiner went above and beyond his responsibilities to ensure the team stayed afloat.

How Guenther Steiner ensured Haas’ survival in dire times

Gene Haas, who comes from the NASCAR legacy, admitted to having limited knowledge of the functioning of an F1 team. Steiner’s experience with newly-formed teams like Jaguar and Red Bull came in handy at that time. In fact, it was he who devised a clever strategy to ensure the team survived when the COVID-induced fund crunch threatened their existence.

Steiner decided to limit the car’s development in 2020 to focus attention on getting more funds from the outside. Thanks to this strategy, he was able to rope in a sponsor like Uralkali and floated a cheap all-rookie lineup in Nikita Mazepin and Mick Schumacher. While Mick’s last name helped develop a sizeable fanbase, the Russian sponsor brought in the much-needed cash. In 2022, MoneyGram’s backing further helped the team bolster their coffers.

Despite that, there is a need for a steady inflow of cash that only Gene could provide, which arguably, Haas fell short on. Furthermore, the team has split bases with one in Banbury (England) and the other in Kannapolis (USA). The aerodynamic department functions from Ferrari’s factory in Italy. This logistical challenge is another reason behind Haas’ stagnation. Resultantly, small teams like AlphaTauri and Alfa Romeo have managed to overtake them.

Haas has lined up former trackside engineering director, Ayao Komatsu to fill in Steiner’s shoes. The Japanese engineer comes with immense experience and a lot of promise. But the mess he has inherited is a massive task to overcome.