New Haas Formula 1 boss Ayao Komatsu asserts that he only sees the positives to Gene Haas’ claim that the eponymous team’s results last season were “embarrassing”.
The American squad endured a trying 2023 campaign plagued by development and tyre wear woes that resigned it to propping up last in the Constructors’ Championship.
Guenther Steiner, who had been at the helm since Haas’ inception, wasn’t retained beyond the end of last year, with Komatsu receiving a promotion to replace the Italian.
Komatsu, formerly Head of Trackside Engineering, has supported Gene Haas’ negative comments, citing that his unhappiness with the team’s current predicament provides a motivating force.
“Gene at the moment, he wants to get off the back of the grid,” Komatsu told Autosport.
“You saw and heard how unhappy Gene was. I mean, 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’s unhappy where we are. If the people in the team think, ‘Okay, we are last, and then we’re not sure where we’re going because Gene doesn’t say anything’ then [they will think], is Gene happy just making up numbers being P10? That’s clearly not the case.
“It’s actually motivating for everyone here. Okay, Gene is serious, he wants to improve the team. So let’s do it together.”
Although Gene Haas is not present at every grand prix on the calendar, Komatsu has praised the American’s approach to addressing how he wants the team to evolve.
“He’s very enthusiastic,” he added. “He may not necessarily understand the details of Formula 1 teams, but at least he gives me clear direction of what he wants out of the team, which is clear.
“And then how to achieve that, that is my job with all the other guys. I cannot do it myself.
“I don’t have any plans to do it myself. I need all the guys to be pulling together, but at least I know what he wants and he is pretty clear.”
Komatsu also welcomes the interest Gene Haas shares and believes his emotional involvement in the team marks a stark contrast to the disillusionment he sensed at board level with the Lotus-Renault squad.
“It’s good because he’s [Haas] very engaged and very enthusiastic,” Komatsu explained.
“One of the differences I saw when I came here was in my previous team, which went through various owners, or certain owners, they weren’t interested at all. It was an investment for them.
“They didn’t care about the racing side. All they were interested in was doing some track days with an old F1 car. Honestly, they didn’t care.
“That was very disappointing, but one of the most refreshing things coming here in 2016 was the owner, Gene Haas, he was so passionate about it.
“I remember, I think it was winter testing when we had a certain car failure, he was in the garage looking at the part because he is interested in the hardware and the mechanical side of things.
“He was just so interested to understand and know what went wrong. I think that is good that this owner is passionate about what he is investing in.”
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