Former Haas Team Principal Guenther Steiner believes it was “wrong” that the side dampened expectations surrounding its prospects for the 2024 Formula 1 season.
Steiner, who had been in charge since its inception, did not have his contract renewed following Haas’ plight to the bottom of the Constructors’ Championship last term.
New boss Ayao Komatsu had cautioned that the American outfit’s late concept change last October would see it begin the campaign on the back foot against its rivals.
However, the VF-24 has proven to be a competitive midfield car, with Nico Hulkenberg’s 10th place in Jeddah being followed up with a double points finish in Australia.
Steiner has revealed he was aware of Haas’ potential from the wind tunnel data, arguing that he would not have chosen to adopt the same approach as his successor.
“They did a good job and I always told Gene Haas that I actually had it right on where they ended up to be, because I knew the numbers from the wind tunnel,” Steiner said.
“I think in the beginning they played it down to have an excuse to start off with and then it was better than they expected. That is for me wrong to do. And I think everybody was convinced it was this path, I was convinced that’s what it was.
“But in my opinion it’s not about this year, it’s about the mid-term. You can go from year to year and every year you can say: ‘Oh, we are bad’ and then you do better than you are.”
The Kannapolis-based squad’s latest package has retained the inherent one-lap pace of its predecessor while curing the degradation troubles that thwarted it last year.
While Steiner has declined credit for Haas’ winter revival, he reckons that departed Technical Director Simone Resta, who will head to Mercedes, deserves recognition.
“I’m not saying I, I say the team and Simone Resta did a good job because the car was done last year, it was done before I left,” he said. The car was finished, it was in assembly already.”
Steiner, who is now doing television work in the F1 paddock, asserts that he has “no bad feelings” over his surprise exit as he is pleased for the colleagues he worked with.
“I’m very happy for the team that they score points, because I like these guys, a lot of people are there since the beginning, so I have no bad feelings about that,” he added.
“I’m actually pretty happy when they score points, because I know the technical team in Italy did a good job last year. They worked very, very hard to produce the car that is running now.
“Only time will tell what’s happening in the future.”
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