(Motorsports news) Gene Haas has discussed why he chose to promote Ayao Komatsu to the position rather than appointing an outsider and why he did not decide to extend the contract of team principal Guenther Steiner. On Wednesday, the team confirmed Simone Resta’s departure as technical director and revealed the shocking alterations.
Along with a power unit and gearbox, Ferrari also provides the team with suspension and other mechanical parts that are permissible for teams to share under to FIA regulations. But when the working team’s vehicle secured pole positions and triumphed in the one race of 2023 that was not won by Red Bull, Haas dropped to the bottom of the standings. Speaking on the Formula 1 website, Haas said, “Ferrari has been very good to us.” They have been with us from the beginning and create amazing engines.
They have excellent suspension. They have provided us with a lot of hardware. It functions pretty nicely. They are a true assistance to us. I want to use the excellent equipment that many other teams don’t have going forward because I’m ashamed that we haven’t been able to accomplish better with it. “There will be a significant increase in competition. Red Bull has AlphaTauri; these partnerships are beginning to take shape, and given how fierce the competition is expected to be, having a partner like Ferrari will be crucial.
He continued, “I talk to a lot of engineers, and I think our aero program needs work. It’s our worst shortcoming. I’m going to stop taking that one once you start being humiliated every weekend at the track. Speaking more about Steiner’s exit, he emphasized that adjustments were required in an effort to improve the team’s performance. “Performance was key,” he stated. After eight years and more than 160 races, we have yet to secure a podium finish.
Over the past two years, we have placed either ninth or tenth. I’m not saying that Guenther is to blame or anything like that; I’m just saying that it seems like a good idea to try something different at this point because it doesn’t look like sticking with what we’ve got will work. “I think Guenther is a nice guy with a great personality. I like him.” We had a difficult year-end. I truly have no idea what that means.
What went wrong is a good question to put to Guenther. Ultimately, it all comes down to performance. Being tenth no longer interests me. Komatsu has the necessary skill set, in Haas’ opinion, to turn the squad around. “We looked from within, at who had most experience,” adds Haas. Since he joined the team on day one, Ayao is well-versed in all aspects of it. “The fact that we have to arrive in Bahrain with a fully operational car worries me the most.
We’ll see if adopting a more administrative and engineering approach proves beneficial. “I believe Guenther approached everything with people more like a human, and he was very skilled at interacting with people. Ayao is highly technical; he bases his decisions on data, identifying areas for improvement and outlining our shortcomings. It’s an alternative strategy.
We weren’t doing all that great, so we definitely need something different. As previously mentioned, everything boils down to the final eight years. I have nothing further to say about it. When asked why he chose to promote from within rather than looking outside, Haas stated that he wanted to have former team executives like Mattia Binotto and Otmar Szafnauer on the sidelines.
He declared, “I’ve been running Haas Automation for more than 40 years.” “When you bring someone in from the outside, it takes them six months to a year to learn, and most of the time you end up not liking them anyway. “It is preferable to go with individuals you know; even if they don’t work out, at least you will know what to expect.
For us at Haas Automation, that has really worked out pretty well, so I’m really using a lot of the building pieces that were here for the Formula 1 team. Having personnel that I know, who are familiar with the day-to-day operations, and who are aware of the people is much preferred to having a stranger come in and cause trouble.
Also read: Extreme E extends partnership with Founding Partner Continental
