The Haas F1 team shockingly announced a few days ago that they were parting ways with their long-time leader, Guenther Steiner. The news came as a shock to fans around the world as it was the Italian-American who laid the foundations for the team and successfully got them to F1 almost a decade ago. Similarly to most others, former Haas driver Romain Grosjean has also expressed his surprise when asked about his reaction to the American outfit’s decision. After sharing his thoughts about Steiner’s departure, Grosjean also explained the tall task that the new management will now have to turn the fortunes around of the team.
While speaking to the media, the Frenchman said, “I don’t know what happened. I don’t know more details than you do, but I wish Guenther all the best in his next chapter“.
While the 37-year-old perhaps did not seem too pleased with Haas‘ decision to sack Steiner, he did ensure to offer his full support to Ayao Komatsu, the man who will take over the reins from the Italian-American. Speaking of Komatsu, Grosjean said, “He’s definitely a man that’s got a lot of ideas and things to do, but for me, the main thing is [I’m] very happy for Ayao“.
Grosjean revealed that Komatsu is a great friend of his as the Japanese engineer was somehow involved in all of the 181 Grand Prixs that he competed in F1. Meanwhile, Grosjean himself faced a situation back in 2020 when Haas did not renew his contract.
The American outfit did not provide Grosjean an extension after he suffered multiple injuries following his horrific crash at the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix. While Haas’ decision to part ways with the Frenchman may seem more understandable, Steiner did seemingly have an unceremonious exit from the team.
Haas signed two rookies after parting ways with Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen
After a disastrous campaign in 2020, Haas decided to part ways with both Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen. The team wanted to take a different direction after they finished a lowly ninth in the Constructors Championship with just three points. The only side who finished behind them was Williams, who failed to score a point.
As a result of Haas’ underperformance in 2020, they decided to sign two rookies for the 2021 season. The first was Russian-born driver Nikita Mazepin. Meanwhile, the second was Mick Schumacher, the son of seven-time F1 world champion, Michael Schumacher.
Although Haas made the decision to part ways with both Grosjean and Magnussen at the end of 2020, they did not manage to get the desired results at the end of the 2021 season. The American outfit failed to score a single point and finished rock bottom.
However, that did not stop Haas from retaining both drivers for the 2022 campaign. It was only after Russia shocked the world by invading neighboring Ukraine in February 2022 that Haas was left with no choice but to sack Mazepin to protect the reputation of the American team.
Haas went back to experience after Mazepin and Schumacher failed to deliver results
Following the sudden sacking of Nikita Mazepin, Haas decided to bring back Kevin Magnussen for the 2022 campaign. The Danish driver’s return helped the team achieve instant success as he finished an outstanding fifth at the 2022 season opener in Bahrain.
The former McLaren driver would end the season with 25 points and finish 13th in the championship. Considering that he finished 13 points ahead of Schumacher, it seemed clear that Haas made a mistake by signing two rookies in 2021.
As a result of Schumacher’s below-par performances in 2022, they decided to sack him at the end of the season and bring in the experienced Nico Hulkenberg. Although the 36-year-old German showcased his prowess brilliantly, the pace of the VF-23 was not just good enough to help Haas have a decent finish in the championship.
The team once again finished last but did manage to score 12 points. Since Haas by now has understood that their drivers have perhaps not been much of a concern, they perhaps decided to change their leadership entirely by sacking Guenther Steiner.
