Schumacher considers whether Steiner held Haas back

Gunther Steiner’s absence is not necessarily the reason for the drastic improvement made by the small American team Haas in 2024.

That is the view of Ralf Schumacher, normally a fierce critic of the Steiner-led era at the F1 team.

Haas is now led by the team’s former senior race engineer Ayao Komatsu.

But when Steiner was in charge in 2021 and 2022, Ralf’s nephew Mick drove for the team until - following a long period of public criticism by Steiner - he was dropped.

Last year, Haas finished dead last in the constructors’ standings. But in 2024, the team has dramatically improved under Komatsu’s leadership, and is currently ahead of Williams, Alpine and Sauber - and just a few points behind RB.

"I don’t want to say that Gunther had so much influence that he was preventing or slowing down the process that we are seeing now," Ralf Schumacher told formel1.

"I think it’s the core of the team - the technical group that makes the technical decisions - that has done a good job. Whether that also would have been the case with or without Steiner’s strategy as team boss, I don’t know. I can’t judge that," the German and former F1 driver added.

Schumacher thinks fellow German Nico Hulkenberg has actually played a big part in Haas taking stepping up to the next level. He is heading to Audi-Sauber for 2025, and will be replaced full-time by rookie Oliver Bearman.

"Nico is absolutely a qualifying beast and I was a bit shocked when Bearman beat him in Baku," Schumacher, 49, said.

"But I have to say that it has become a close-knit group and they seem very determined."

Ferrari-powered Haas announced a new technical partnership with Toyota on Friday.