Ayao Komatsu: “In Bahrain, we will be at the back of the grid, or even last”

You have just presented the VF-24 for the 2024 season of Formula 1. Could we say that the concept was based on the team's revised VF-23 package at the end of last season?

In terms of changes, as everyone knows, when we introduced the Evolution in Austin, it was the concept of this year's car but due to the physical limitations of the side impact structure, layout radial ducts and cooling layout, we could not realize the complete VF-24 type concept. I knew exactly where we were going this year, but everyone got a glimpse of it in Austin.

It has now been a month since you took office. How were your first weeks as team manager? Haas ?

We've been very busy, but things have been very positive. Everyone I talk to sees it as an opportunity to improve. I think a lot of people felt the same way: they didn't know where the team was going, how it was going to improve. We need a clear goal, vision and communication, and to remove some barriers that don't need to be there. Everyone needs to understand what they are dealing with, how the team is progressing and what our approach to the race is.

I spend a lot of time talking to as many people as possible, sharing this approach and getting feedback. Obviously, I'm not trying to do this alone, quite the contrary. We have good people, so my job is to provide them with an environment in which they can flourish and get the best out of themselves. Everyone is so helpful, motivated and positive, it's great.

What can you tell us about the evolution of your workforce, in particular the recruitment of a new technical director and key design and engineering positions?

Our new technical director is Andrea De Zordo. He was previously lead designer and is a very technical person. His communication is good, he is very committed and listens to people, so I am very happy with this appointment. We are in the process of recruiting our head designer, but I think we have good candidates internally, so we will look to promote from within.

Another key role is that of performance director, which did not previously exist, but which we created by giving this role to Damien Brayshaw. He will oversee and guide improvements in collaboration with the aerodynamics department and all other functions that analyze the full-scale car, i.e. track engineering, vehicle performance group, tire group, etc. . These are the key changes: we're getting everyone on board, talking together and participating in steering the ship.

Has taking on the role of team manager in January had an impact on preparation for the upcoming season?

This had an impact, because the announcement was made on January 10 and we drove our car for the first time on February 11, which is quite a short time frame. However, when it came to building the car and preparing for testing, this was not a problem operationally. It was not just about my role, but also the departure of a technical director, so there were two significant vacancies to fill. We formalized and communicated this structural change as soon as possible. The timing of this transition period was not ideal, but I was very impressed with everyone's maturity and response. Thanks to this, we were able to keep disruptions to a minimum. Now that we have clarified the structure, we should be in full control.

What are the objectives for the season with the VF-24? Where do you think the team stands off the track and what role can the drivers play in the development of the car in 2024?

At the start of Bahrain, as I said, I still think we will be at the end of the grid, or even last. Since becoming a team manager, I have spent a lot of time talking to managers – in the UK and Italy – and they are enthusiastic because it is an opportunity to improve and it is There are areas for improvement everywhere. The reason our launch car won't be fast enough in Bahrain is not because of the quality of people we have here, but because we started late and stopped for two months to bring evolution in Austin. It really diverted resources, so we lost time, but the team is making good progress in the wind tunnel, which is positive, and in terms of features, it's moving in the right direction.

The aim is to have a good testing program for Bahrain, so that the team has quality data to analyze and understand the direction to take to develop the car. This means understanding precisely the strengths and weaknesses of the VF-24, then putting a cohesive plan in place to produce updates to the car, which hasn't happened before.

Pilots will also play a larger role. Last year, in terms of subjective feedback from the drivers, their understanding of the car's weaknesses was clear, but we were not able to reflect this in our car development program. With the changes we have made within the team, we intend to solve this problem by having our drivers more involved in the development of the car, so that nothing is lost. As engineers we have all the data from many sensors, but one thing we can't do is drive the car and feel what's happening. We therefore need to be able to better understand and respond to driver reactions.

Will the VF-24 be able to see the impact of your changes, or do you think 2025 will be the first year you can influence the car?

One of the things we've changed is how we shape the organizational structure, so that as a team we work together to understand the car and how to improve it. I like to think that the first thing we will see as a result of this change will be the car upgrade.

As for performance, it was seen in previous seasons that the car started well, but lost ground during the second half of the season when the competitors made more progress. Is there a strategy to prevent this from happening this year with VF-24?

This is why we are making changes to the organizational structure on a technical level to ensure that everything we discover on the track translates into the development of the car.

If you look at the previous organizational structure, there is no clear path to closing the loop on that side. Everything discovered on the track is now integrated into the aerodynamics, wind tunnel and CFD departments. Now, even if there is disagreement, everyone knows why we are developing the car in a certain way. This is one of the main reasons why we have not been able to make improvements to the car and move back in the season. Today we already work in this way and the transparency, openness and communication are much better. Therefore, I think we have a much better chance of improving the car properly this year.

Q/A provided by the Haas team

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