F1 News: Gene Haas Reveals "Biggest Concern" For 2024 Season After Shock Guenther Steiner Exit

Haas team owner, Gene Haas, has revealed his biggest concerns for the 2024 season with just over five weeks to go until pre-season testing.

Gene Haas, the owner of Haas F1 Team, has expressed his concerns about the team's performance in the upcoming 2024 season following the surprising exit of their long-serving team principal, Guenther Steiner. Haas' worries centre on the team's readiness for the Bahrain pre-season testing and Grand Prix.

Key Takeaways:

• End of an Era at Haas: The departure of Guenther Steiner, who played a crucial role in Haas F1 Team's establishment and growth, marks a significant transitional phase. His leadership since the team's debut in 2016, and two years prior, has been instrumental in its success.
• Steiner's Legacy and Challenges Ahead: Known for a pragmatic approach, Steiner helped Haas achieve remarkable feats for a new team. His exit, along with the departure of technical director Simone Resta, leaves big shoes to fill for new team principal Ayao Komatsu.
• Gene Haas' concerns: Team owner Gene Haas has expressed concerns regarding the teams 2024 contender. With just over five weeks to go until pre-season testing, the owner of the American team is already worried about the pace of the team.

Haas F1 Press Image

During an interview with Formula1.com following the surprising news of Guenther Steiner's exit from the team, Haas opened up some of the reasoning behind the decision as well as his concerns for 2024. He commented:

“My biggest concern is when we go to Bahrain.

“We need to show up with a car that is ready to go. Maybe having more of a managerial-type and engineering approach – we’ll see if that has benefits.”

Steiner has been replaced by former engineering director Ayao Komatsu. Haas confirmed that the aim was to put more emphasis on engineering from the management of the team. Speaking in the announcement of Steiner's exit, Haas explained:

“I’d like to start by extending my thanks to Guenther Steiner for all his hard work over the past decade and I wish him well for the future. Moving forward as an organization it was clear we need to improve our on-track performances.

"In appointing Ayao Komatsu as Team Principal we fundamentally have engineering at the heart of our management. We have had some successes, but we need to be consistent in delivering results that help us reach our wider goals as an organization.

"We need to be efficient with the resources we have but improving our design and engineering capability is key to our success as a team.

"I’m looking forward to working with Ayao and fundamentally ensuring that we maximize our potential – this truly reflects my desire to compete properly in Formula 1.”