Ayao Komatsu is not too optimistic about Haas’ performance at the start of the 2024 F1 season. The new head of the American team recently replaced Gunter Steiner and will now lead Gene Haas’s F1 team as it tries to move up the grid. However, Komatsu does not have any hopes for 2024.
In an interview with asweb.jp, Komatsu admitted that the team did not have enough time to further improve the car. He said the car he brings to the 2024 F1 Bahrain Grand Prix will be at the “bottom end” of the grid. He went on to say that rather than focusing on top speed, the Kannapolis-based team aims to evaluate the car and provide a solid direction for development.
“There’s still a month left until pre-season testing, but I think the car we’ll take to Bahrain is still at the bottom of the list,” Komatsu said. “We didn’t have much time, so I think it’s more important to thoroughly evaluate the car through testing, indicate the direction of development, and proceed efficiently from there, rather than looking at the car’s top speed.”
The F1 team, which has been in a slump since the departure of Gunther Steiner, may be able to make a fresh start. Gene Haas was adamant about focusing more on his F1 team and hiring new talent to improve the team. In 2023, the team finished bottom of the constructors’ championship table, scoring just 12 points. The team has not yet announced a car launch event.
Haas’ new team manager talks about his differences with Gunter Steiner
Ayao Komatsu has made it clear that he is completely different from former Haas team boss Gunter Steiner.talk to sky sportsthe Japanese praised Steiner for what he has done for the American team since his debut in F1.
“I’m never trying to imitate Günter Steiner. Günther was a very unique person and we had a very, very good working relationship and we got along very well outside of work.” Mr. Komatsu said..
“Günther has done a lot for this team. He set the starting point for the team, so I have a lot of respect for Günther and what he has achieved. We’re trying to improve on what we left here.”
Günther Steiner was in charge of the team from the beginning and helped Gene Haas build the team. Steiner and Komatsu had a strong relationship as the latter served as trackside engineering director before becoming team principal.
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