Haas blasted for a lack of ambition - “Aspirations? I don’t see it”
Eddie Jordan calls out Gene Haas for not having "aspiration" to wi🦂n an F1 grand 💞prix
Th🌌e Haas F1 team have been criticised for a lack of perceived ambition by Eddie Jordꦫan.
The US-based team ar𝓡e in their ninth season in Formula 1 aiming to rebound from finishing bottom of the 2023 constructors’ championship.
Guenther Steiner surprisinglඣy left his job as team principal overꦉ the winter, citing the owner Gene Haas’ unwillingness to invest.
Ex-F1 team owner Jordan said on the podcast: “If it was me, and🦹 I 𒊎was there, I’d cast my attention to the engineering, the speed of the car, the ability to do the job.
“Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magn🍰ussen 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 b𓃲een there for a long time, in Formula 1, and I haven’t seen the team move forward.
“Aspirations ꧑of winning a grand p🔯rix? I don’t see it.
“Whether it’s personne𝓀l 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 q𝓰ualifying? They are given no chance.
“The car is just marginally better than the Alꦜpine.”
David Coulthard added: “ಞThere is definitely room for improvement.”
Ayao Komatsu is the new Haas team principal this year🍰, replacing Steiner.
His appointment is a piv꧃ot to an engineering-based boss, rat🐷her 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 a♏n impressive qualifying performance.
Steiner detailed the financ♏ial disagreeme𒐪nt with owner Gene Haas that led to his departure.
He said: “You could see a🐼ll the other teams, when the b🌺udget 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 wh🎶at you think about things.
“Obviously I don’t own the team. I can’t make these decisions. I havꦡen’t got the moꦜney.
“Gene wants to do it his way.
“Obviously he didn’t like what I had to say.
“Therefore my contr📖act wasn’t extended. I was okay with it.”
James was a sports journalist at Sky Spജorts for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
