Haas team principal Guenther Steiner has left his role after 10 years leading the US-based team.

The 58-year-old Italian will be replaced by the team’s former director of engineering, Ayao Komatsu.

Team owner Gene Haas said: “Moving forward, it was clear we needed to improve our on-track performances.

“We have had successes but we need to be consistent in delivering results that help us reach our wider goals as an organisation.”

Technically, Steiner, who built up the team using an innovative business model, was not fired.

His contract had expired and Haas chose not to extend it, BBC Sport has learned.

Haas added: “In appointing Ayao Komatsu, we fundamentally have engineering at the heart of our management.”

The Haas statement did not include a reaction from Steiner, who did not respond to requests from BBC Sport for comment.

Haas technical director Simone Resta has also left the team in the wake of Steiner’s departure.

Komatsu said: “I’m looking forward to leading our program and the various competitive operations internally to ensure we can build a structure that produces improved on-track performances.

“We obviously haven’t been competitive enough recently, which has been a source of frustration for us all.”

Komatsu has been at Haas since their track debut in 2016.