Haas Proves Guenther Steiner Wrong After Spectacular Recovery With The Same Budget

Saajan Jogia | Aug 10, 2024

Oct 22, 2023; Austin, Texas, USA; Moneygram Haas F1 driver Nico Hulkenberg (27) of Team Germany drives during the 2023 United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Haas F1 team principal Ayao Komatsu revealed that the team's recent performance surge is a direct result of the strategic and efficient use of available funds. This success proved wrong the former team boss Guenther Steiner's belief, that more funding was essential to boost the performance and enhance the team's position.

The American team finished the 2023 season at the bottom of the Constructors' Championship with just 12 points. The disappointing performance drew the attention of team founder Gene Haas, who expressed a willingness to invest more money into the team, contingent on a turnaround in results. This reportedly led to a disagreement with Steiner, ultimately resulting in Steiner's ousting earlier this year.

The team's numbers reveal a significant improvement over last year, having already surpassed their 2023 achievements with ten races still left in the F1 calendar. After finishing the previous season with just 12 points in tenth place, Haas now holds seventh place with 27 points, trailing VCARB by only 7 points.

Speaking to Auto Motor und Sport, Komatsu emphasized that the team managed to improve itself with the same budget as last year. Haas's turnaround is largely due to its strategic use of resources and the implementation of a highly efficient approach. This contrasts sharply with Steiner's frequent claims that the team's budget was too limited to support the performance upgrades he believed were essential for success. Komatsu said:

“No extra money had to be spent.

“All the parts we have produced have been within our planned budget.

“Gene has no problem investing in the team if we deliver performance in the end. Of course, we had to earn his trust and prove to him that we can improve with the resources we have.

“We had exactly the same budget last year. It’s all about how you use that money and how you get people to work towards a common goal.”

In addition, Komatsu also stated that Haas capitalized when the other teams made mistakes, thereby elevating its position further. However, the defining of roles and responsibilities in alignment with its strategies also added to the team's advantage. He said:

“It’s obvious what happened: the others simply messed up.

“To be honest, the car we started the season with was nothing special. So we had to assume that the others would do a better job with three times as many employees.

“Sauber then had problems with the pit stops, Williams with the chassis, Alpine with the further development and the weight — that set them back. We couldn’t have expected that.”

He added:

“There are now clear goals, a clear strategy and fixed responsibilities.”