Haas boss Ayao Komatsu has revealed that Nico Hulkenberg has unknowingly helped the Formula 1 team build a harmonious relationship with its new driver line-up.
The American squad signed up a brand new driver pairing for 2025, pairing established Frenchman Esteban Ocon with exciting British rookie Oliver Bearman.
And so far, the partnership has shown some positivity, with the duo ensuring the team has scored points in half of the 14 Grands Prix held so far.
The only potential fissure within the partnership came at Silverstone, when the first rule of not crashing into your team-mate was broken, but the issue was quickly resolved.
Komatsu has spoken openly about how pleased he is with his new line-up and praised their team ethic.
“Honestly, both of them have been great team players,” he told media including Motorsport Week.
“Silverstone was a very specific circumstance where there was only one dry line, so it caused the issue.
“But none of them were intentional. We had a very good chat and it was totally fine.”
Komatsu revealed that Ocon and Bearman have both shown duty to the team, adhering to its instructions faultlessly, citing a particular moment at the Belgian Grand Prix as an example.
“Even before that point, every single time we had to issue a team order, every single time, there were zero questions,” he highlighted. “They do it straight away.
“In Spa, before the Sprint, we were next to each other. P5 and P7. I spoke to both of them before the Sprint, ‘[Here is] what we are going to do’. Totally clear.
“No issue whatsoever. Then we had to split the downforce level for the main qualifying and the race, because of uncertainty with the weather.
“Sunday morning, we had a chat, because with that much difference in the downforce level, at a certain point, one car is going to be so much quicker than the other.
“So we sat down, the three of us talked. It was totally clear. In the race, Esteban just said I’ll let Ollie pass now. We didn’t even ask, that’s it.”
‘Trust, transparency and respect’ – the cornerstones of Haas harmony
Komatsu explained that the team has built a solid environment on which the harmony is based, which the drivers have bought into.
Many might have questioned the dynamic between Ocon and Bearman, the former having previous instances of needle between team-mates such as Sergio Perez and Pierre Gasly.
But Komatsu explained that the values of the team are clear and have helped to create a positive culture.
“When you guys were asking about this towards the end of last year, I said I was confident – but I wasn’t saying that just to be saying it,” he explained.
“I really believed if we built up a foundation with the trust and respect between the drivers and the team, if the foundation is there, because we’re not going to do everything right away every time.
“Some team orders we’re going to issue might be a mistake, but as long as we got the foundation of trust, transparency and respect, none of it will be escalated.
“If we make mistakes, we’re going to talk about it after the race in a completely open manner, like we did in Silverstone.
“We sat down, we talked about it. We all said our observations and opinions. We said ‘this is what we’re going to do going forward’.
“Zero issues. So for me, that’s the key, just the foundation, just the trust, transparency, respect.”
Hulkenberg provided Haas with a ‘new baseline’
Komatsu outlined why he believes Hulkenberg was the figure who helped him provide the harmony the team is enjoying now, despite the German switching to rivals Sauber.
The veteran, who returned to F1 with Haas in 2023 after a three-year hiatus, scored 41 points last year with 10 top 10 finishes.
Komatsu puts this down to what he described as the “baseline” for how the team is progressing now.
“You can ask Nico why did he perform so well last year?” he said. “We really had a very, very good relationship
“I’ve been doing this for 22 years, or something like this. Last year, the relationship we built with Nico gave me a new baseline.
“This is what we need to achieve with any driver, because then that’s a performing environment.
“Everyone is a human being. If a driver doesn’t trust the team, the team doesn’t trust the driver, if you feel this decision is forced upon me, of course, it’s not going to be the best.
“It’s not even a racing thing. It’s just a more fundamental human quality. Respect, transparency, honesty, inclusion. All that is what we’re trying to build inside this team.
“Esteban had experienced many years in F1, good and bad. Now I feel like we have got this foundation.
“Of course, it’s something you’ve got to build on every single time.
“It’s not like ‘Okay, we got there. Fine, forget about it’. No, every situation is different. Every scenario is different. We are doing that, I think fundamental trust there.”
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