Haas blasted for a lack of ambition - “Aspirations? I don’t see it”

The Haas F1 team have been criticised for a lack of perceived ambition by Eddie Jordan.

The US-based team are in their ninth season in Formula 1 aiming to rebound from finishing bottom of the 2023 constructors’ championship.

Guenther Steiner surprisingly left his job as team principal over the winter, citing the owner Gene Haas’ unwillingness to invest.

Ex-F1 team owner Jordan said on the Formula To Success podcast: “If it was me, and I was there, I’d cast my attention to the engineering, the speed of the car, the ability to do the job.

“Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen in particular - I worked with him just after the Jordan era - are talented drivers who can do the job. No issue there.

“The issue is the commitment to the job in hand.

“They’ve been there for a long time, in Formula 1, and I haven’t seen the team move forward.

“Aspirations of winning a grand prix? I don’t see it.

“Whether it’s personnel or the second-hand Ferrari engine…

“But you’d rather have the Ferrari engine than the Renault engine in the Alpine, that’s for sure.

“A lot comes down to aero, and to Gene Haas putting the right guys in place. He hasn’t done that yet.

“The car in race trim seems okay. But in qualifying? They are given no chance.

“The car is just marginally better than the Alpine.”

David Coulthard added: “There is definitely room for improvement.”

Ayao Komatsu is the new Haas team principal this year, replacing Steiner.

His appointment is a pivot to an engineering-based boss, rather than the business savvy of Steiner.

A ray of light at the F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix last weekend saw Hulkenberg finish in P10 after an impressive qualifying performance.

Steiner detailed the financial disagreement with owner Gene Haas that led to his departure.

He said: “You could see all the other teams, when the budget cap came into place, everybody else invested their money into the infrastructure of the company just to move forwards.

“We didn’t do that.

“At some stage, you need to say what you think about things.

“Obviously I don’t own the team. I can’t make these decisions. I haven’t got the money.

“Gene wants to do it his way.

“Obviously he didn’t like what I had to say.

“Therefore my contract wasn’t extended. I was okay with it.”