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Gene Haas’ Formula 1 team has not had much success since entering the sport in 2016.
The lone American team on the grid has yet to record a podium finish in eight seasons and has a best finish of fifth in the constructors standings. Twice in the last three years the team has finished 10th out of the 10 teams on the grid.
Now Haas, in the wake of the latter’s departure, is pointing the finger at former team principal Guenther Steiner.
“It came down to performance,” he said. “Here we are in our eighth year, over 160 races – we have never had a podium. The last couple of years, we’ve been 10th or ninth.
“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,” Haas said after parting ways with Steiner on Wednesday.
Now, Haas says he’s not pointing the finger at Steiner. But he goes on to do just that.
“I like Guenther, he’s a really nice person, a really good personality. We had a tough end to the year. I don’t understand that. I really don’t. Those are good questions to ask Guenther, what went wrong. At the end of the day, it’s about performance. I have no interest in being 10th anymore.”
So, make of that what you will.
What Haas does not talk about is resources. While all teams compete under the same budget cap, not all teams have equal resources.
It’s widely believed that Haas is on the wrong end of the spectrum when it comes to financial backing. Particularly after losing sponsorship from Russian oil company Uralkali in 2022.
Uralkali is owned by Dmitry Mazepin, the father of former Haas driver Nikita Mazepin. Nikita Mazepin finished last in the driver’s standings in 2022 and was fired after a video emerged of him allegedly sexually assaulting a woman.
So things are a bit rough around Haas F1 these days. But hey, it’s easy to blame the fired guy.