Gunther Steiner has said he believes Haas' mentality ahead of the 2024 F1 season was “wrong”.
After Steiner left the Haas team over the winter, the American team began downplaying its competitiveness heading into the new season.
Günter Steiner: I learned the numbers from wind tunnel experiments
Ahead of the championship starting in Bahrain, new team principal Ayao Komatsu has downplayed expectations for the new season, warning that the new VF-24 is likely to be one of the slowest cars on the grid outright. .
But Haas were pleasantly surprised in the field through the first three races of 2024, with Nico Hulkenberg picking up points in Saudi Arabia and Australia and Kevin Magnussen following up on Germany's home turf in Melbourne with a double points finish. .
As a result, Haas currently occupies seventh place in the Constructors' Championship, and although they still have a decent one-lap pace, they have addressed a significant weakness of recent years where their tires don't seem to be cutting in. It seems so.
Steiner is currently watching the team he has led for almost 10 years as an outside observer, but has moved on to work in the media and is set to become an ambassador for the Miami Grand Prix.
He believes his former team should not have made a move that downplayed expectations heading into 2024 and that their current form is no surprise to him.
“They did a good job, and I always said this to Gene Haas.” [team owner] Because we knew the numbers from the wind tunnel, we actually knew exactly where we ended up,” Steiner said.
“At first, I think they played it down to make the first excuse, and it was better than they expected.
“That was the wrong thing for me. And I think everyone was convinced that this was the way to go, and I was convinced that that's the way it was.
“But in my opinion, it's not about this year, it's about the medium term.
“As the years go by, every year you can say, ‘Oh, we’re no good,’ but then you can do better than you did.”
Recommended by PlanetF1.com
F1 Team Principals: How long has each team principal been in charge?
F1 start time: What time does the Japanese Grand Prix start? How to watch and live stream
Günther Steiner: I'm very happy for Haas
Steiner was to play a key role in the VF-24's development process, along with former technical director Simone Resta. He also left Haas during the winter to take up his new role at Mercedes.
Steiner never claimed to have contributed to the car's improvements, but praised Resta and the team for unlocking the potential that modern cars have been able to achieve without the problems of tire wear.
“I'm not saying… I'm saying the team and Simone Resta did a good job because the car was finished last year and it was finished before I left,” he said.
“The car was completed and was already being assembled.”
Despite the team's expulsion, Steiner said he was happy to see many of his colleagues getting off to a more enjoyable start to the championship, seeing their efforts quickly pay off. Stated.
“I’m very happy for the team to get points because I like them,” he said.
“There are a lot of people who have been here since the beginning, so I don't have any bad feelings.
“I know the Italian technical team did a good job last year, so I’m really happy when they score points. They worked extremely hard to produce the car that’s running now. Ta.
“Only time will tell what will happen in the future.”
Read next: What's so great about Max Verstappen?World Champion Driver Provides Key Insights
