TLDR Guenther Steiner has left his role as Haas F1 team boss due to disagreements with team owner Gene Haas over the team’s potential and investment, leading to uncertainty about the team’s future and potential sale.
Key insights
💥 Gunther Steiner’s departure from Haas F1 poses serious questions about the team’s prospects and future, as he was the man who made F1’s strangest team setup possible and became an unexpected star of the Netflix drive to survive series.
🌍 The 2024 season will be a big test of the new team boss’s leadership and confidence in the team’s potential.
🏎️ Haas F1’s unique management style under Guenther Steiner has made him an unexpected star of the Netflix drive to survive series.
🔑 Steiner’s extreme cutbacks and writing off the 2020 and 21 seasons saved the team from potential closure.
🏎️ The appointment of Kamatsu as team principal raises big questions about a team that appears to be wasting the massive opportunity presented to it by F1’s growth and transformed financial model at a time when it should be pushing on.
🏎️ Last year’s car was limited by a dead-end aerodynamic direction that didn’t yield performance gains, but there’s potential for an upturn in form in 2023.
Timestamped summary
🏎️ 00:00 Guenther Steiner has left his role as Haas F1 team boss due to disagreements with team owner Gene Haas over the team’s potential and investment.
🏎️ 01:17 Haas F1 team’s underachievement and clash with Ferrari led to Guenther Steiner’s exit, as Jean Hass wants to run the team his way.
💣 02:16 Haas F1 team owner doesn’t invest in or sell the team, leading to underwhelming existence and potential dysfunction, with 2024 season being a big test.
🏎️ 03:14 Guenther Steiner played a crucial role in creating Haas F1, forming a technical partnership with Ferrari and working with Dallara for car production and design. Expand
💥 04:31 Guenther Steiner saved Haas F1 team from closure by implementing extreme cutbacks, signing rookies with backing, and leveraging his high profile to attract sponsors, turning the team into a potentially billion-dollar entity.
💥 05:27 Kamatsu replaces Steiner as Haas F1 team principal, raising questions about the team’s future.
💥 06:42 Katsu will focus on improving the team’s potential and reshaping the leadership, but financial constraints may limit his effectiveness in comparison to his predecessor. Expand
🏎️ 07:56 Haas F1 may fall behind in the long term and could potentially be sold to Andreti Formula Racing, but it ultimately depends on what Gene Haas wants.