Who should Haas find to fill new void?

Haas' shock news that former Team Principal Guenther Steiner haddeparted earlier this week has led to a reshuffle for the outfit.Long-serving engineer Ayao Komatsu has taken the step up to take onSteiner's responsibilities, following a recent trend of teamsopting for engineers to take the reins at the top. But to help theJapanese, Haas will soon name a European-based Chief OperatingOfficer to oversee non-sporting matters from the team's Banburyfactory. Whilst there will no doubt be a shortlist, one name inparticular stands out given his previous exploits in F1 - and he isfree on the market. Szafnauer to return? Otmar Szafnauer could wellbe the man to answer Haas' needs and is currently out of work in F1after his unceremonious dumping by Alpine at last season's BelgianGrand Prix as part of the French manufacturer's managerial cull.The move seemed harsh on a weekend Pierre Gasly had picked up theteam's second podium of the season and there is little doubt thatSzafnauer still has much to achieve in the sport. But why would hebe a perfect fit for the COO position at Haas? His history showsexperience in such a role, having been Operations Director forBritish American Racing [BAR] in the late 1990s and early 2000sbefore becoming Vice President of Honda Racing Developments and amember of the management board for Honda's works entry. That'sobviously a plus point, but perhaps his exploits in more recenttimes actually underline his suitability for the role. Team ownerGene Haas is apparently insistent that results are achievablewithout the type of investment Steiner was supposedly seeking. Thisis where Szafnauer's time with the Force India-Racing Point effortcomes in handy. The Silverstone-based outfit was renowned forfighting well above its weight in F1 given its diminutive budgetand the fact it worked out of the relatively small former Jordanfactory - though that has now changed since rebranding to AstonMartin. Szafnauer's journey with the team led to a first racevictory at the end of their partnership at the 2020 Sakhir GrandPrix, won by Sergio Perez - a fitting tribute to both of theircommitments through the darkest of days for a team which had foughtoff administration. So given Haas' current situation, its humbleworkplace and workforce and relatively small budget - even withinthe budget cap - Szafnauer is the first person that springs to mindwhen you think about outperforming investment. The fact there wouldbe no compensation due for any rival team would also be a majorplus point for Haas. What about Binotto? Another option withobvious ties to Haas would be Mattia Binotto. The Italian is yet toreturn to F1 since departing as Ferrari Team Principal in the2022-2023 winter break and was instantly linked with the Alpinepost when Szafnauer was shown the door. Bruno Famin remains incharge there for now with no indication of any change forthcoming,so maybe Binotto could be tempted to take on the Haas COO role. TheAmerican-owned team's strong links with Ferrari mean it would makea lot of sense for Binotto to be chosen and, with Gene Haassuggesting more needs to be made of the partnership, maybe thiscould be the way forward. But would Binotto take the drop down to ateam that finished last in the Constructors' standings last season?Would he want to distance himself from Ferrari? There are questionmarks that need to be answered. Of course, there are other namesthat Haas will be looking at, but at least for now, Szafnauer looksthe ideal candidate.