by VALERIO BARRETTA
Haas, high rating at mid-season
Looking at the constructors’ standings at the summer break, one of the most unexpected positions concerns the Haaseven in seventh place and not far from RB to be the “first of the others”. In a grid that was split in half especially in the first part, where the smaller teams had to work hard to even get a tenth place, Haas scored points six times out of 14 weekends (like Alpine, but with certainly smaller structures and potential). The credit also goes to Ayao Komatsupromoted in the winter by Gene Haas in place of Günther SteinerAnd it was precisely to the South Tyrolean that the team principal of the American team indirectly sent a message.
Steiner has repeatedly complained that Haas was too economical for such a competitive environment as F1, and one might think that the 2024 performance is due to a greater number of upgrades (Haas has already brought two major ones) and investment. Komatsu, however, has vindicated the quality of its work in relation to the past.
Komatsu’s words
“There was no need to spend extra money. Gene has no problem investing in the team if we can ultimately deliver.. Of course, we had to earn his trust and show him that we can improve with the resources we have. Last year we had exactly the same budgetit’s all in how you use that money“, these are the words of the Japanese to Cars, Motors and Sports.
“Of course, the car’s behavior has improved, and the approach to the tires has also changed completely. We also changed the structure because we needed to improve communication and cooperation. Now there are clear objectives, a precise strategy and well-defined responsibilities. We also found a good direction for development in the winter tests. All these elements together allowed us to develop further. We worked very well together as a team.“.
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