{"id":28417,"date":"2024-12-12T04:50:21","date_gmt":"2024-12-12T09:50:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/?p=28417"},"modified":"2024-12-12T04:51:41","modified_gmt":"2024-12-12T09:51:41","slug":"haas-on-the-edge-due-to-low-number-of-staff-komatsu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2024\/12\/12\/haas-on-the-edge-due-to-low-number-of-staff-komatsu\/","title":{"rendered":"Haas “on the edge” due to low number of staff – Komatsu"},"content":{"rendered":"

Haas secured their second-best result in the F1 Championship this year, finishing 7th in the standings. Whilst Ayao Komatsu deserves huge praise<\/a> for pushing Haas forward, the team principal warns that more personnel are desperately needed.<\/p>\n

Lack of personnel remains a limiting factor for Haas<\/h2>\n

Since joining the grid in 2016, Haas are a team that have punched well above their weight.<\/p>\n

With a smaller budget, lesser infrastructure and fewer staff compared to other teams, the American team operate with very limited sources.<\/p>\n

For a long time, the limitations at Haas were glaringly obvious.<\/p>\n

Their inability to introduce any meaningful upgrades in 2023<\/a>, for example, led to them finishing last place in the Championship.<\/p>\n

However, there have been major improvements over the last twelve months.<\/p>\n

Thanks to a targeted and effective pre-season programme, Haas eliminated their biggest issue from last season – tyre management.<\/p>\n

Combined with effective mid-season upgrades<\/a> and operational changes, Ayao Komatsu oversaw a significant step forward.<\/p>\n

Komatsu: Haas desperately need to recruit<\/h4>\n

Despite these positives, Haas still need more investment and a larger work force.<\/p>\n

Komatsu hasn’t sugar-coated the situation:<\/p>\n

“We are trying to grow, but recruitment is hard, and finding good people is not easy,\u201d <\/em>he told the media<\/a> in Abu Dhabi.<\/p>\n

“But there\u2019s no doubt we need to grow, you know. We\u2019re below critical mass, shall I say.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Esteban Ocon, Abu Dhabi Post-Season Testing at Yas Marina Circuit. (Photo by Andy Hone \/ LAT Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“We\u2019re just about to be saturated all the time, and anything happens, we\u2019re completely overflowing.<\/em><\/p>\n

“That\u2019s not sustainable – I want to make this thing sustainable. We\u2019re want to be able to operate, let\u2019s say normal operation, with some margin.<\/em><\/p>\n

“At the moment, I feel very, very little margin.<\/em><\/p>\n

“Every time something happens, you have to send somebody out from UK.<\/em><\/p>\n

“But then that means that this UK operation is already on edge, so taking this guy out means they\u2019re going to be even more on edge.”<\/em><\/p>\n

READ MORE:<\/strong> Williams prepared to make sacrifices for 2026 season<\/a><\/p>\n

A pivotal moment for the team<\/h4>\n

When ex-team principal Guenther Steiner left Haas, one of the reasons for his departure was a lack of investment from Gene Haas.<\/p>\n

Steiner argued that without an influx in resources, the team had no hope of becoming more competitive.<\/p>\n

In response, Gene Haas explained that he needed to see better results and more efficient use of resources to justify greater investment.<\/p>\n

There can be no denying that Ayao Komatsu, leading the team to 7th overall, has optimised the resources at his disposal.<\/p>\n

Embed from Getty Images<\/a>