F1
Ayao Komatsu: “Proof that Haas is going in the right direction”
© Florent Gooden / DPPI
The big winter decisions are bearing fruit in the ranks of Haas. The departure of Günther Steiner and the takeover of Ayao Komatsu seem to have established a new dynamic within the Kannapolis team. If the main Japanese team wanted to be pessimistic and even spoke of being the last force on the field before the start of the campaign, it is clear that their team is very far from being that.
The numbers speak for themselves. After 14 Grands Prix contested and while the F1 is in its summer break, Haas has 27 units and is in 7th place in the Manufacturers' ranking, just 7 lengths from 6th position held by RB. Data which can be explained by some good results such as the 6th consecutive places in Nico Hulkenberg in Austria and Great Britain. But also by a good understanding of the car that the Americans have managed to develop well.
For comparison, this represents 16 points more than at the same stage the previous campaign, completed with only 12 units, Gene's team having registered a single unit in the second part in 2023 (Kevin Magnussen 10th in Singapore). Performances that highlight training progress.
« It's not just the number of points, because obviously points and sporting results depend on the performance of others, emphasizes Ayao Komatsu. So I always focus on what we can control, which is us, the Haas team. How are we going to improve it? How will we improve our performance? How are we going to improve the way we manage races? So yes, 27 points is good, it’s more than last year. But beyond that, I think what's really encouraging is how we work together as a team. We started working as a team. Which was not the case until the end of last year. For me, this is the most positive point and it is proof that we are going in the right direction. » Had to stay the course so as not to sink in the second half of the season before opening a new chapter in their history with Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman.
ALSO READ > Ocon on his arrival at Haas: “The team is on an upward trajectory”
Gonzalo Forbes
In charge of promotion formulas (F2, F3, FRECA, F4...). Carried by the grace of Franco Colapinto.
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Yves-Henri RANDIER
03/08/2024 at 12:27 a.m.
If KOMATSU and Haas manage to recover a Toyota "sponsorship", well done for the American team... when Audi will spend several hundred million dollars to probably make the number for a few years before being competitive while the giant Japanese, well warmed by his past involvement in F1, will have less costly benefits much more quickly!