Ayao Komatsu opens up about his promotion to be Haas F1 team principal, as he adds on Guenther Steiner plus his ideology ahead.
Having worked at various role at Haas, Komatsu has gotten his due to be the new team principal from 2024 F1 season onward. Gene has taken a chance with him coming from the engineering background by not renewing with long-time boss Steiner.
The 2023 result of Haas dropping to 10th was the key catalyst for Gene’s decision which Komatsu agreed that embarrassed him. As the team were banking on the new regulation to be the game changer, it hasn’t worked out for them for various reasons.
And now Komatsu has been given the reigns to look at things from engineering point of view and not commercial. Haas will hire a COO to look after the marketing side, but the Japanese states that they are not in a hurry as the focus is improving the car.
Komatsu goes through working under Steiner and being different character to him, while adds on the thought behind Gene’s decision and what Haas are upto as an immediate response to help the team move upwards from 10th.
Here’s what Komatsu said to media including official F1 website –
Promotion to be team principal, departure of Guenther Steiner –
Komatsu: “I’m really overwhelmed by the positive support I’ve been given. Everyone’s been really positive, excited, supportive, so I’m really excited about what we can improve with the people we have here. I know that there’s so many talented, high-quality guys here so I really wanted to provide them with the environment and framework so that they can show their best. So I’m really excited. Of course, I’m not trying to be Guenther Steiner. He’s a very different person. We got on, honestly, really, really well. We respect each other, we respect each other’s positions and job roles during work and off work as well. We used to go to dinner quite a lot as well over a race weekend – again, not to talk about work but because we got on pretty well. But I’m not here to replace Guenther Steiner as a character.
“He’s a very different character, as you know, and he has got very different strengths and weaknesses to me. I’m not trying to be someone else and Gene knows that and if Gene wanted a Guenther Steiner replacement in that way, he would have appointed somebody else. So I understand that Gene wants something different and I will try to be the best version of myself rather than trying to be somebody else. This [swearing more than Steiner] is not something I’m proud to say. My language is not great, I swear way to much, but, again, I try not to do that.”
Opportunity presented –
Komatsu: “When I was given this opportunity I just made it clear to Gene: ‘You know my expertise, there’s no point in me trying to focus on the marketing side and trying to get sponsorship because that’s not where my skillset is’. In that field I need someone else who is an expert in that area to run it, then I can focus on the technical side, trying to get an organization that we can improve the technical side of the team. So yeah, it’s a very different responsibility, but at the same time, any job I’ve done – so I used to be in the vehicle dynamics, performance engineer, race engineer, chief race engineer – when you do your current job you always try your best in the job you are doing but you also look at ‘OK, what are the other constraints? If certain things are improved, how can I do a better job?’.
“You always think about that, so even when I was doing the previous job, of course this team means a lot to me because I was here since day one. I know what potential this team has got, so in certain areas I can see ‘Oh maybe you can look at doing things in a different way’ etc. So in that sense, we’re not short of ideas, if you like, so there’s plenty of areas that we can take a look to improve the team. Not having a COO at this minute is not slowing us down. But if you are looking at going forward, we clearly need one and this person needs to be running that area coherently. But it’s better to get the correct person than rush it and then settle for something you are not so sure about.”
How to take the team ahead –
Komatsu: “I do believe with what we got, we can do a better job, for sure. With the people, with the ideas people have got, if we put it together, I’m sure we can do a much better job. And then once we get to the stage where ‘OK, with what we’ve got we are maximizing, we are an effective racing team, then there is a next stage of ‘OK, is the absolute boundary, is that not good enough?’ But I think we are far from it if you’d like, so yeah, I’m focusing on improving what we got for sure, to start with. Whatever we learn across the course of the year in 2024, I’m sure that will help us very clearly define what we’re doing in five years’ time, eight years’ time, 10 years’ time. Of course, disagreement happens everywhere. That’s healthy. That’s not a problem. But then just to move forward everybody needs to know, ‘OK. X said this, A said this, I disagree, but we dealt with all the disagreement, as a team we decided to move in this direction’. I think that’s important, rather than people don’t know why we’re going through that direction. ‘This doesn’t seem to work, but we still keep going on. Why?’ So that’s not healthy, I don’t think. So, again, that comes from communication.”
What does Gene wants –
Komatsu: “Gene at the moment wants to get off the back of the grid. Obviously you saw and heard how unhappy Gene was. Of course, who’s going to be happy competing in last place? It is embarrassing, it really is embarrassing. So I think it’s positive that Gene is unhappy where we are. If the people in the team think ok, we’re last, and we’re not sure where we’re going, Gene doesn’t say anything, then ok, is Gene happy just making up the numbers and being P10? That’s clearly not the case.
“So that’s actually motivating for everyone here. Ok, Gene is serious, he wants to improve the team, so let’s do it together. It’s part of my job to get Gene to engage and understand what we are dealing with here. I don’t think we understand everything. But I think we understand a significant part of it. But then again, the only proof is if we can produce a car that can deal with that problem. So I don’t like to sit here and say that we understand it 100%. We have a decent idea why and where we need to focus on.”
Here’s Haas selecting Chleo Chambers
Here’s Guenther Steiner on his Haas exit
Here’s Gene Haas explaining his decision making
Here’s Haas announcing Ayao Komatsu as new boss
Here’s Gene Haas explaining his decision making
Here’s Haas announcing Ayao Komatsu as new boss
Here’s Nico Hulkenberg on not being overly confident for 2024
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