New team principal Ayao Komatsu said Haas had spent so much time developing the VF-24 that he expected it to remain at the back of the grid at the Bahrain Grand Prix. (pictured above).
Haas had a fast car in qualifying last year but struggled with race pace and opted to follow Red Bull’s widely adopted aero package concept later this year. Significant upgrades were introduced at the American Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas, but ultimately did not improve the car’s performance. While Komatsu said it provided valuable data, it also noted the impact it had on work on the 2024 car.
“I still think coming out of the gate in Bahrain… I’ll be at the back of the grid, if not the last,” Komatsu said. “Since I became team principal I have spent a lot of time talking to managers both in England and Italy and they are excited because it is an opportunity for improvement and there is room for improvement everywhere. Masu.
“The reason our launch-spec car is not fast enough in Bahrain is not because of the quality of the staff we have here, but because we got a late start and then stopped for two months to do the Austin upgrade. We really wasted resources and lost time there, but the team has had good results in the wind tunnel, so that’s a positive and we’re moving in the right direction in terms of properties. Masu.”
In explaining its hopes for how car development will move Haas forward during the season, Komatsu was critical of how the team’s upgrade plans have been handled in the past.
“The focus is to have a good test program in Bahrain so that the team can finish testing with quality data to analyze and understand the direction in which to develop the car. It means understanding exactly the strengths and weaknesses of your 24 and having a consistent plan for updating your car, something that has never been done before.
“The driver will also play a stronger role. Last year, there was a clear understanding of the car’s weaknesses in terms of subjective feedback from the driver. But translating that into the car’s development program was We aim to address this issue with the driver within the loop of the development path so that nothing is lost due to changes made within the team.
“As engineers, we have all the data from a lot of sensors, but one thing we can’t do is drive the car and feel what’s going on. We need to be better able to understand and respond to feedback.”