Since its debut season in 2016, Haas has found themselves stuck in purgatory on the F1 grid. The lone American team based out of Kannapolis, North Carolina has had its fair share of ups and downs, with no shortage of drama along the way.
Their charismatic team principal Guenther Steiner helped form Haas into the lovable underdog team on the grid. However, good results rarely materialized. Even when they did, the team was unable to consistently deliver those same results from race to race.
After finishing last in the team standings for 2023, majority owner Gene Haas decided to cut ties with Steiner, citing the team’s lack of improvement since 2016.
“Here we are in our eighth year, over 160 races – we have never had a podium,” Haas said. “I’m not sitting here saying it’s Guenther’s fault, or anything like that, but it just seems like this was an appropriate time to make a change and try a different direction, because it doesn’t seem like continuing with what we had is really going to work.”
Perhaps the most damning indictment on Steiner was the failed development strategy the team took in 2021. With F1 introducing a brand new car for 2022, the team decided to stop all development on the team’s 2021 car in order to place all their resources into making their new car a legitimate contender.
The idea of short term pain for long term gain backfired. Haas has finished 8th and 10th in the two seasons with the new car, scoring only 49 points combined.
Familiar Faces
For 2024, Haas is promoting Ayao Komatsu, a former race engineer who knows the team inside and out. The hopes are that Komatsu’s engineering background gives the team an improved approach, allowing the team to make the gains they so desperately need.
As for the drivers, Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg both received new contracts at the end of 2023. They will be retaining their roles as they head into 2024.
Magnussen faces a substantial amount of pressure this season. Despite being with the team for seven of the last eight seasons, he has been unable to deliver the same results as newcomer Hulkenberg.
Hulkenberg, an F1 veteran, joined the team in 2023 after taking a hiatus from full time driving. He immediately impressed with his qualifying ability, placing the Haas far higher on the grid than it ever deserved.
In the head to head stats, Hulkenberg beat Magnussen in both qualifying and the race, by a margin of 15-7 and 13-9 respectively.
While Magnussen is a core part of Haas’ identity, it’s not out of the realm of possibilities that Haas could look to replace him with younger talent. The same could even be said for Hulkenberg, should he have a down year. Haas is currently the only team with both drivers being in their 30’s.
The Pressure Is On
It’s clear that patience is wearing thin in Kannapolis. The firing of Steiner, who in many ways was the face of the team, demonstrates this. The question will be whether or not this changes anything.
The bottom line is, if the car isn’t good, nothing else matters. Haas’ 2023 car featured a nightmarish amount of tire wear, killing their race pace and negating any qualifying heroics. Can this team, which has not been able to make any substantial gains since their inception, really be trusted to figure it out? Is the replacement of Steiner really enough to spearhead a new era?
Only time will tell. Plus, with Michael Andretti putting his best foot forward to add his team to the grid, the novelty of Haas being the only American team in F1 could soon be gone. Losing that core part of the team’s identity could potentially sink the team further into obscurity.
All this considered, it’s safe to say 2024 will be a crucial year in determining the future of Haas F1.
Featured image courtesy of HaasF1Team.com
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