Why the Steiner-Haas F1 team divorce is best for both parties

Upon Wednesday's announcement of Haas' decision not to resume Guenther Steiner's stewardship of its Formula 1 team, the news was accompanied by an uproarious reverberation of discontent. The cult fandom that the Italian-American has commanded throughout his tenure in charge of Haas had, naturally, lent him an outpouring of support when it became apparent that team owner Gene Haas would not renew Steiner's deal into 2024 and beyond. A change of direction at the team was cited as the key reason.

The key points of conflict are thus: Steiner believed that the team needed considerably greater investment from Haas after sinking to the bottom of the constructors' championship. Although the operation is hardly run on a shoestring, it has had to do a lot with comparatively little since joining the field in 2016, and has made use of its Ferrari technical partnership in order to bypass many of the running costs associated with team ownership. Haas, conversely, felt that Steiner's management methods had not best employed the resources that he already had access to; with Ferrari's Maranello campus on tap, and bases in the UK and US, the team already has a range of infrastructures at its fingertips.

It's a scattered model, but it has worked previously; by maintaining its design premises in Italy and using its Banbury base as the hub for its race operations, the way Haas operates is not dissimilar to AlphaTauri's model of splitting its resources across two bases. There are difficulties, sure, but having Ferrari's wind tunnel and associated facilities on hand guarantees it access to infrastructure that produces race-winning - sometimes even championship-contending - machinery.

Haas, with the same facilities, produced a car that scored a mere 12 points relative to Ferrari's 406. Last year's VF-22 earned its detractors in the field for looking vaguely similar to Ferrari's F1-75, complete with 'bathtub sidepods', partly because it was a moderately successful car that managed 37 points over the full season. Repeating that kind of score would have earned the team seventh in the constructors' championship; instead, the team produced a flawed car for 2023 and subsequently failed to get out of the corner it had painted itself into.

The proclivity of the VF-23 to over-stress its tyres meant that the drivers often had to, per their words, take themselves out of battling in the races simply to make it to the end on the least compromised strategy possible. In that position, they cease to be a racing team; they merely exist to survive for another year and hope that results go their way.

Steiner does not have direct responsibility for the ills present in the car. This fell under the remit of ex-Ferrari designer Simone Resta, another who has left the Haas set up after disagreements over the trajectory of the team, and the subsequent attempts to fix the problem offered very little progress. It's up to the team as a whole to produce a car that works; and much like a football manager, it appears that Steiner has carried the can for the underperformance of the collective.

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

To some Gene Haas has been painted as the villain of Steiner's exit

The perception among many is that the decision is unfair. For a team of Haas' stature, Steiner had been a figurehead that had perhaps had courted more column inches than the team perhaps deserved, as his vivacious personality inexplicably became something of a draw in his appearances in Netflix's Drive to Survive.

Forthright and good-humoured, the South Tyrol native watched his stardom rise when the series began at the close of the 2018 season, amid his seemingly constant exasperation about everything around him: his methods of dealing with drivers appeared to be more akin to parenting unruly teens, and sweary phone calls to Gene Haas gave the impression of Darth Vader reporting to an off-screen Emperor Palpatine - albeit in a less urbane fashion.

That Steiner has brought such attention to a team that in recent years has not enjoyed the results to command it, it appears to be a colossal misstep to let him go. Sponsors have thrown their lot in with Haas based upon the personality and profile of Steiner; he's been described as one of Drive to Survive's main characters and commands a space next to the likes of Toto Wolff and Christian Horner on F1 Manager 23's cover. So, why has Haas let arguably its biggest asset leave?

Analysis: Why Steiner’s departure is a big loss for Haas F1

The short answer is thus: Gene Haas runs his eponymous outfit the way he sees fit. But that doesn't quite explore the full extent of the situation that Haas finds itself in as a team, nor does it entirely explain the way that Haas and Steiner had become increasingly incompatible. Haas believes his technical model can still work; Steiner wanted investment for Haas to start building up its own infrastructure.

In what Haas is trying to achieve with his team, Steiner is no longer the man for the job. And, for Steiner, Haas is no longer the job that he needs

As mentioned previously, Haas had become dissatisfied at the results being produced by the team; after all, as the key benefactor, he is responsible for writing the majority of the cheques that keeps the team running. Haas felt that his financial support was not being used effectively, and the key infrastructure that the American outfit has access to had been employed inefficiently. And, crucially, Haas's view was supported by trackside engineering lead Ayao Komatsu - which has led to the deposition of Steiner and the installation of Komatsu as the new team principal.

It admittedly makes little business sense to pump more cash in if the existing financial support structure is being wasted significantly. Haas is adamant that the money going into the team could be spent more wisely, and opting for a new management structure makes it far more simple to implement a new directive from the top.

Whether Haas' or Steiner's assessments is correct remains to be seen, and it could well emerge that the team does require a more weighty injection of cash. However, if there are obvious inefficiencies in the team's spending that can be rectified, it would be far more prudent to start paying attention to those areas.

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

Haas aims to profit from its close relationship with Ferrari

Haas is the smallest team on the grid and, based on size and financial worth, is naturally going to struggle against the might of the larger teams. But it has overachieved wildly before; in 2018, its third year of F1 competition, Haas managed to find its way up to fifth in the constructors' championship. To achieve in a pre-cost-cap era against the heavier-spending manufacturers suggests some degree of efficiency in its spending.

With all teams now pegged at the same yearly budget, Haas should have been in a position to capitalise based on that prior form, but instead it has not been able to do so. Komatsu will be tasked with trimming the fat from the existing structure at Haas, and will need to reallocate any finances saved into areas that offer the biggest performance-based returns.

As a team that takes as many off-the-shelf components from Ferrari as possible, it does not have to expend cap-governed budget on salaries for a gearbox or a suspension design department, while the out-of-cap but still-governed capital expenditure column is also far less of a concern. Renting a part of Ferrari's Maranello facilities for its own use will absorb a hefty chunk of the team's running costs but, if it uses its testing and manufacturing time responsibly, Haas can theoretically achieve more bang for its buck. This is the thread that the team has opted for and, thus, the CNC machine entrepreneur sees continuing the Ferrari relationship akin to the manner that AlphaTauri is expanding its relationship with Red Bull as the best way forward.

“It works really well. They really do help us. I’m embarrassed that we haven’t been able to do better with it, but going forward, I want to take advantage of good equipment that a lot of other teams don’t have," was Haas's assessment when speaking to F1's official website.

“Things are going to get a lot more competitive. Red Bull have AlphaTauri, we’re starting to see these relationships evolve, and I think the competition is going to be very intense, so having a partner like Ferrari is going to be very important. I talk to a lot of the engineers, and I think our biggest failing is aero; our aero programme needs work. When you’re at the track and you’re humiliated every weekend, I’m going to stop taking that one any more.”

At this year's Autosport International at Birmingham's National Exhibition Centre, Steiner was the main attraction; his presence on the back of his release from the team was purely coincidental. But it offered him the chance to give his side of the argument, some of it in front of the impressive crowd of show-goers, and more in an exclusive interview with Autosport's esteemed Grand Prix Editor Alex Kalinauckas. Out of respect for the team and not to instigate a messy legal battle, however, he was understandably guarded about certain aspects of his departure.

What Steiner eventually wanted was for Haas to slowly move away from the current model that it works with, and was angling for investment for the team to start becoming more autonomous. That would mean that the multi-hub operation would be rolled back for a central base, allowing the team to control more of its fortunes rather than relying excessively from Ferrari.

Photo by: Paul Foster

Steiner gave his side of the Haas split story to fans at Autosport International

Steiner, speaking exclusively to Autosport, revealed his side of the story: "Formula 1 has changed since the budget cap came in place. The reaction of people was like, ‘you need to think different, you need to invest in your infrastructure to get the best out of your operational budget’. You just need to be very efficient, you need to put the money in, setting everything up that you’ve got a very lean machine.

"I think the concept was very good when Haas started, but then when the budget cap came it just changed a little bit and their model is maybe not the most efficient any more."

In those differing opinions, this much is clear: in what Haas is trying to achieve with his team, Steiner is no longer the man for the job. And, for Steiner, Haas is no longer the job that he needs.

Steiner, in asking for more investment, has shown a level of ambition that has not necessarily been matched. He disagrees with the long-term strategy of the team; by weaning itself away from the 'B-team' model that it employed, he feels that the team can become more responsible for its own fortunes.

Haas now needs somebody who can pick up where Steiner left off and elevate it - someone who can follow Haas' ideology and make a little go a long way. Whether Komatsu is the right man for the job remains to be seen

Furthermore, he cites the build-up of infrastructure at other teams over the past few years - McLaren, Aston Martin, and Williams have all invested in their systems and facilities - which has left Haas behind. Rather than Haas' claims of inefficient spending, Steiner reckons that everything hinged around the 2020 COVID-enforced shutdowns, and that the comparative lack of investment from that point has led to Haas' drop in performance.

"Obviously in 2023 we missed the boat a little bit, but in competition that can happen. But if you put it in these were just really bad years, [but] there was always a reason why they were bad. And that needs to be, I think, explained a little bit. Because I think where Haas got kicked in the nuts, was in 2020 when the team was ready to be shut down," he said.

"When you shut down, it’s easier to start completely new than half new. Because then you had all the legacy, but half of the people were missing. And for sure, some of the good people were missing. So, we had to build up again, and building up costs energy, costs money, everything."

"Then obviously all the other teams started to build up their infrastructure in 2021 and 2022. They all started because in 2020, the budget cap era started and they all started to build up and Haas didn’t."

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

Komatsu has been charged with leading the Haas turnaround

With the expanded capital expenditure allowance, which Williams had been strongly in favour of in trying to undo years of underinvestment in its own systems and facilities, Steiner hoped that there was an opportunity to secure investment in some of the Haas team's own operations. That has not come to pass, at least, not under his stewardship.

Thus, it was the right call for the two to part ways. Haas now needs somebody who can pick up where Steiner left off and elevate it - someone who can follow Haas' ideology and make a little go a long way. Whether Komatsu is the right man for the job remains to be seen, but he at least has accepted the baton gleefully. If the experiment fails, then Haas will have a clearer idea of which direction to take - but sticking with the status quo was never going to be feasible owing to the differences of opinion.

More: Can F1’s latest engineer team boss pull off a McLaren-style turnaround for Haas?

While Haas can now reassess its priorities in a new direction, it's also a positive move for Steiner. Sure, he'll miss the monthly wage packet, although he has his own composites business - Fibreworks Composites - that will continue to offer him stability. Ultimately, it had become very clear that he had started to outgrow the team in terms of job profile and reputation.

A position in which Steiner can build - or, indeed, rebuild - the fortunes of a different motorsporting organisation would suit his skillset perfectly. For now, he's happy to see what comes his way; in his Autosport International appearance, he has stated that he won't step back into an F1 role purely for the sake of it. Regardless, he'd be an asset on the F1 merry-go-round, whether in a promotional position with the championship itself or in a differing team principal role.

Maybe if Bruno Famin doesn't fancy the Alpine rebuilding job for too much longer, Steiner might be dynamic enough to breathe new life into a static Renault-owned team - and bring much-needed interest its way too...

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

As a fans favourite, what next for Steiner?