F1 News: Kevin Magnussen Addresses Shock Guenther Steiner Haas Exit

Kevin Magnussen has thanked Guenther Steiner as the latter leaves the Haas team with immediate effect.

Haas F1 driver Kevin Magnussen has addressed the surprising news that Guenther Steiner has stepped down as team principal with immediate effect. 

Key Takeaways:

• Guenther Steiner, pivotal in establishing the Haas F1 and leading its progress since 2016, has stepped down as team principal.
• Kevin Magnussen expressed gratitude to Steiner for his role in Magnussen's career, particularly for rejoining Haas in 2022 after a brief hiatus.
• Haas owner Gene Haas recognised Steiner's significant contributions, stressing the importance of consistent performance and advanced design/engineering for the team's future.

Steiner was central to Haas' establishment and progress since its 2016 debut, bringing extensive experience from Jaguar and Red Bull. Under his leadership, Haas, the first American-led F1 team in three decades, earned a reputation for pragmatism and competitiveness, often surpassing expectations for a newcomer.

Taking to social media following the shocking announcement, Magnussen thanks Steiner for bringing him back to the team in 2022. The Danish driver first joined the team in 2017 before losing his seat in 2020. After the team cut ties with Russian driver Nikita Mazepin just before the 2022 season began, Steiner brought Magnussen back last minute. Magnussen wrote on X:

"Thanks, Günther. Thanks for taking me on the journey in 2017 and thanks for bringing me on board again in 2022. It has been both fun and tremendously challenging – but never boring. So long and all the best"

Thanks, Günther. Thanks for taking me on the journey in 2017 and thanks for bringing me on board again in 2022. It has been both fun and tremendously challenging – but never boring. So long and all the best 👊 @HaasF1Team pic.twitter.com/7xcmYeZRbY

— Kevin Magnussen (@KevinMagnussen) January 10, 2024

Team owner, Gene Haas, acknowledged Steiner's contributions and emphasised the need for consistent on-track performance and enhanced design and engineering capabilities. Haas commented:

“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.”