F1 | Komatsu: “Haas in transition, but can improve”

The start of 2024 also represented a radical change at Haas, which chose to overturn the direction of the team by saying goodbye to Gunther Steiner, former Team Principal who had led the team since his debut in 2016.

The figure of Steiner had been central in the process that had led to the birth of the team, but some differences with Gene Haas regarding the investments necessary to grow the team created a rift between the two, which then materialized with the American owner's decision to do not renew the contract with the South Tyrolean.

Steiner will therefore be replaced by Ayao Komatsu, a figure who knows the internal dynamics having been part of the team since 2016. Over the years, the Japanese has risen through the ranks, to the point of assuming the role of director of engineering.

In an extensive interview given to the media selected to reflect on his appointment, Komatsu acknowledged that he has addressed the issues that await him in his first adventure in the role of Team Principal, underlining how his objective is to make the most of the strengths from Haas.

“I'm focused on how to improve, obviously. I like to think that I'm quite correct and that I'm quite polite. I'm reasonably direct, I think, and then transparency, honesty: I don't engage in politics. I believe that if you have the right intention, if you motivation is clear and you want to get the best out of the team, I believe that this reaches people and makes them able to unite”, said the Japanese, introducing himself in his first interview as manager of the American team.

Before accepting the job, Komatsu also made it clear to Gene Haas that he will need support in other areas, such as commercial marketing, receiving full support from the team owner. In fact, Komatsu will be supported by other figures, so as to be able to focus on the technical part: “Obviously, some areas are more familiar to me, namely the technical aspect. Other areas are less familiar to me, such as the commercial aspect and marketing. But when I was given this opportunity, I clearly told Gene, “Look, you know, my experience, you know, it doesn't make sense for me to try to focus on the marketing side, trying to get sponsorships, because that's not my field.” In that field, I need someone else who is experienced in that area to manage it, and then I can focus on the technical aspect of trying to get an organization that allows us to improve the technical aspect of the team.”

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Haas F1 Car

Having only taken charge of the team earlier this year, Komatsu has spent the last few weeks trying to get a good idea of ​​Haas' strengths and weaknesses. The team owner insisted on how fundamental it is to take advantage of the relationship with Ferrari and the package made available by the Cavallino, but it is clear that without investments behind the scenes it will be difficult to close a gap with the opponents that is growing more and more. Alpine, Aston Martin, McLaren, AlphaTauri, are investing significantly behind the scenes, as are Williams and Sauber, who can now count on fresh funds to upgrade their structures.

However, before committing to making changes, the new Team Principal wants to meet as many employees as possible and visit the main Haas facilities in Italy to understand where it is necessary to intervene. In fact, we must not forget that Haas also lost its technical director, Simone Resta, who left the team at the end of last year.

“I will go to Italy to meet all the designers and aerodynamics people we have there,” Komatsu said.

“I need to deepen my knowledge in this sector. What are the main problems? How can we improve the situation? I have spoken to some of those present, but it's not like I have already spoken to everyone. So I would like to wait until I speak to everyone. Then get the people and formulate an overview, rather than saying, 'Okay, in the last three days I've identified this,' which may not be a fair representation.”

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Ayao Komatsu, Chief Engineer, Haas F1

While Komatsu has not yet reached any conclusions, it suggests that improved communication between Hass offices in the UK and Italy will be an area of ​​focus. Furthermore, although it is clearly secondary, we must not forget that there is a third operational headquarters in the United States, where in reality the various Haas activities in other championships are also managed. “Of course, if you're setting up a company on a blank sheet of paper, you're not going to set up an F1 team with two separate factories in the UK and Italy. But that's how we started.”

“It was very useful in 2016, 2017 and 2018, to take off. Then, of course, the landscape changes and some regulatory changes happen, so the team has to evolve. We have to continually evaluate these types of things. But if you ask me if it's Is it ideal to have a UK office here and an Italy office there? No. But is it a major constraint? No. Can we do better? Absolutely yes. So that's what I'm focused on,” explained the new Team Principal.

“If we can get the most out of our structure, and if it then becomes 'right, we can't do anything better with the way we're set up,' then we can talk about changing things. That's my strategy. But, of course, you have to keep it in mind as a medium-long term strategy, but this is not my goal at the moment.”

Komatsu therefore said he was open to considering possible changes in the future regarding the team's organization, but it is clear that there are numerous hurdles he can overcome before thinking about such a radical change. Firstly, the Maranello headquarters allows you to work closely with Ferrari, the company that supplies much of the package, as well as some engineers on loan. Furthermore, it guarantees a close relationship with other local companies such as Dallara, which deals with the creation of some components.

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

Kevin Magnussen, Haas VF-23

Added to this is what was recently said by the owner of the team, Gene Haas, who underlined the importance and centrality of the relationship with the Cavallino, which undoubtedly allows us to reduce the amount of staff needed while saving on the budget. The problem is that in this F1 we ​​cannot think exclusively on the part relating to the Cost Cap, where the American team has nevertheless made some steps forward with the arrival of a new main sponsor, because at the same time it is equally important to invest in the CapEx , i.e. the resources dedicated to improving the structures.

While Steiner believed that additional funding was needed to help the team progress, Gene Haas believed it was more about maximizing what the team already has at its disposal. Komatsu is aware of the huge investments made by the other teams, but believes that this is not the decisive element that Haas needs immediately.

“It's a very difficult industry, but I'm still very optimistic about what we can do with the current setup [organizzativo]. Then, as we improve the current setup, some things, I think, will become quite obvious and natural and make us decide, “Okay, we need to deviate a little bit from our original model in this way and maybe we need to invest in this way.”

“I think this will come out naturally, rather than forcing it. I'm not here to turn everything upside down, because then we couldn't operate and we would stop. Even if we had a massive investment, we wouldn't function well, we wouldn't use the investment properly. So, you have to grow naturally.”

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Gene Haas, owner and founder of the Haas F1 team

“In 2023 we were not in a good condition, and that's why we decided to make changes. But you can't make a big leap suddenly, because 2024 would be a total disaster, right? So, we have to improve the team in 2024. I see it as a transition phase, and then whatever we learn over the course of the year in 2024, I'm sure it will help us define very clearly what we're going to do in five years, eight years, or 10 years,” Komatsu added.

The short-term goal is to move up the rankings and remove the team from tenth place, as happened in 2021 and 2023, enough to lead Gene Haas to say he felt humiliated by the results on the track seen recently: “Gene at the moment he wants to move up the grid. Obviously, you saw and heard how unhappy Gene was… I mean, obviously, who would be happy to be in last place? It's embarrassing. It's really embarrassing.”

“So I think it's good that Gene is unhappy with the situation we're in. If the team members think, 'Okay, we're last and we're not sure where to go, Gene's not saying anything,' then… Okay, Gene is he happy to invest to finish in tenth place? It's clear that this isn't the case. This is a motivation for everyone present. Ok, Gene is serious, he wants to improve the team. So let's do it together.”