Haas will start the season at the back of the grid, and that’s what their director says

Haas can finally focus on the start of the 2024 season. After announcing its two reserve drivers for the upcoming championship, the team has just unveiled its new car. However, winter has been very turbulent within Haas’ ranks. The departure of Günther Steiner as team principal, replaced by Ayao Komastu, had initiated the hostilities. Many reshuffles have since taken place, and technical director Simone Resta has also been dismissed.

These changes were made by the CEO, Gene Haas, who deemed his team’s results unsatisfactory. Finally, after all these changes, the new management is ready for the 2024 season.

Optimize development

The VF-24 has been recently unveiled, just a few days before the winter testing. However, Ayao Komatsu has already identified difficulties and limitations with the car. The Haas team director expects his team to struggle at the beginning of the championship. ” We are realistic about our expectations for the car’s launch” explained the Japanese engineer during the vehicle presentation. “As we leave Bahrain, I still think we will be at the back of the grid, perhaps even last. The reasons are not due to the qualifications of the individuals, but rather because we started late. Then, we had to stop for two months to upgrade Austin. It was a major task to undertake, and it delayed the development of our VF-24.”

Despite Haas’ concerns about the start of the upcoming exercise, Ayao Komatsu is convinced that it is a key step for the rest of the season. The engineer believes that the changes implemented will result in a stronger and better-executed upgrade.

“We are all realistic about the fact that our launch car in Bahrain may not necessarily turn heads,” he stated. “But our goal is to work with the VF-24 and understand it. If you look at the previous organization, there was no clear path. Now, everything on the side of the track is a closed loop. Even if there is disagreement, everyone clearly understands why we are developing the car in a certain way. We are already working in this way, and there is much better transparency. Therefore, I believe we have much better chances of improving the car this year.”

A new organization

For several seasons, Haas has had the unfortunate tendency to start off with a bang before collapsing. In 2023, Haas scored seven out of its ten points in the first three races. To correct this bad habit, Ayao Komatsu opted for reshuffling within his team. Andrea de Zordo has become the technical director, leaving his position as chief designer. As for the role of performance director, the former head of the performance group, Damien Brayshaw, was promoted.

“We need a clear objective and to eliminate unnecessary obstacles,” declares the Haas director. “Everyone should understand what they are facing and how this team is progressing. The drivers will also play a more significant role. Last year, their understanding of the car’s weaknesses was evident, but we were unable to reflect that in our development. With the changes we have made within the team, our goal is to involve our drivers more in the development process so that nothing is lost.”

Haas finished the last two seasons of Formula 1 in last place.