With 27 points from the first 14 races, Haas are comfortably in 7th place in the standings. The American team are on track for its best finish in the Constructors since 2018 – when they finished 5th overall. Team principal Ayao Komatsu has played a crucial role in the recent success at Haas, implementing a series of structural changes.
The transformation at Haas
When Komatsu was first announced as Haas team principal, there were doubts about how far he could impact performance.
It was widely believed that a fundamental change in spending was necessary for Haas to improve its results.
However, the Japanese engineer was adamant that procedural changes could have a bit impact.
Komatsu has outlined some of the changes that have been introduced:
“I think when everyone knows how they’re contributing, that promotes teamwork as well.
“Also making clear there’s no blame culture. So when certain things are not working – we’ve got to get to the bottom of it. But there’s no witch-hunting.
“We’ve got to get to the bottom of it. Because if we don’t, we’re not going to solve it.
“But just making it clear that it’s not about saying – ‘you’ve done this wrong’.
“So again, having that clear message and then making that safe space for everyone. So they can openly admit that [there is a mistake], and we can move forward.
“That’s the key. It’s easier said than done. But I think we just have to continually do this process. To make sure it becomes the culture of this team.”
Haas optimise their limited resources
Of course, there is no denying that Haas suffers from a large deficit in resources compared to other teams in Formula 1.
They have the fewest personnel of any team, with Komatsu revealing that Haas employs hundreds fewer staff than some of their immediate rivals.
Mid-season development at the US outfit is traditionally very limited – owing to their limited budget and resources.
However, Ayao Komatsu has proven that Haas are capable of producing effective mid-season upgrades, as evidenced by the improvements brought to the VF-24 in Silverstone.
These modifications helped Nico Hulkenberg claim an impressive 6th place. This feat is especially notable given that Ferrari, who share many of their components with Haas, have struggled with their own updates.
Although losing Nico Hulkenberg to Sauber is a blow, the team’s 2024 campaign is undeniably one of their best in F1 to date.
