Guenther Steiner’s Haas theory left busted after F1 funding questioned

The Haas Formula 1 team has been making stunning performance strides in 2024 after Guenther Steiner was dismissed from the outfit at the start of this season — but why?

According to Ayao Komatsu, new Haas F1 team principal, the situation isn’t the result of a better operating budget; it’s just about using that budget more effectively.

Ayao Komatsu: “We had exactly the same budget last year”

In an interview with Auto Motor und Sport , Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu refuted the claim that Haas’ recent success is the result of an increased operating budget — something that Guenther Steiner regularly pointed to as an explanation about the team’s lack of performance.

“No extra money had to be spent,” Komatsu said in the interview.

“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.”

This is in stark contrast to regular statements by Guenther Steiner regarding the team’s budget, which he expressed was not large enough to accommodate the necessary performance upgrades that Steiner believed would lead to success.

Komatsu, however, seems to disagree with that statement.

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At the beginning of 2024, Komatsu refrained from making any big projections about Haas’ performance, going so far as to predict that the VF-24 would remain at the back of the field. Then, when the season kicked off, Haas seemed to have taken a massive leap forward.

According to Komatsu, “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.”

Further, Komatsu credited an overhaul in the general structure of the team to “improve communication and cooperation.”

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

Though Haas is by no means a front-running team just yet, it has made a much-needed leap forward on in the championship — and it didn’t need a bigger budget to make the magic happen.

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