Haas axe 'sad' Steiner
Formula One outfit Haas on Wednesday parted ways with colourful team principal Guenther Steiner with the struggling American stable appointing Ayao Komatsu in his place. Steiner, 58, had been in charge of the team since it entered F1 in 2016 and has attracted much attention for his lively outbursts on the successful Netflix show 'Drive to Survive'. "It's disappointing and sad not being a part of the team going forward, but I wish the team all the best for the future. If any team deserves success, it's them. I will always root for Haas," said Steiner on X. "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," said team owner Gene Haas. "Moving forward as an organisation it was clear we need to improve our on-track performances," he added. Komatsu, 47, takes over having previously filled the role of trackside engineering director. He has been with the team since its debut season in 2016 when he was chief race engineer, and has over 20 years of experience in motorsport having also worked for British American Racing and Renault. He takes over responsibility for the team's overall strategy and on-track performance, with a brief to maximise the team's potential. "Having been with the team since its track debut back in 2016 I'm obviously passionately invested in its success in Formula One," said Komatsu. "I'm looking forward to leading our program and the various competitive operations internally to ensure we can build a structure that produces improved on-track performances." The 2024 season starts with pre-season testing in Bahrain in late February followed by the opening grand prix at the same track on March 2. (AFP)