Haas F1 team principal Ayao Komatsu recently clarified his seemingly pessimistic pre-season forecasts regarding the team’s performance. Komatsu stressed that his initial doubts were rooted in pragmatism, not deflection or arrogance, amidst the team’s challenging circumstances.
Stepping into the role after Guenther Steiner, Komatsu inherited a team grappling with significant issues. In the previous season, despite strong qualifying rounds, the American team struggled with rear tire degradation which severely compromised their race results. The situation was further exacerbated by a late implementation of car upgrades at the United States Grand Prix, which did not yield the intended competitive edge.
Before the start of the season at the Bahrain Grand Prix, Komatsu’s projections were bleak, ranking Haas at the bottom of the grid. He explained that these predictions were based on a realistic assessment of the team’s recent performance hurdles and a delay which focused too much on the unsuccessful Austin upgrade.
Contrary to his predictions, Haas F1 has shown a marked improvement this season. Drivers Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen benefited from slower starts by rival teams. By mid-season, Haas had climbed to seventh in the constructors’ standings, with Hulkenberg securing back-to-back sixth-place finishes at the Austrian and British Grands Prix—an outcome that pleasantly contradicted Komatsu’s initial expectations.
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In an interview with Motorsport.com, Komatsu revisited his pre-season comments, stating:
“Honestly, I knew how much improved over the winter [we were].
“You know how small we are, I know how late we started, I know how much time we wasted by doing the Austin upgrade. So, I had to assume people with at least the same resource or three times [the resource] will do at least as good a job as us because I know people are not stupid, right?
“So, I had to assume that you cannot count on people being 10kg overweight or totally messing up the concept. You cannot count on that, you’ve got to make your own result.”
He continued:
“It’s pretty simple. We are 300 people. The next smallest team there is about three times as much. We started [thinking] like, ‘we wasted some time, how are we going to be better, right?’ So, if I said, ‘loading out of door in Bahrain, we’re going to be P8’, either I’m stupid or arrogant, one or the other.
Thankfully, some rivals did falter, but Komatsu stated that his strategy does not rely on the shortcomings of others.
“Then luckily for us, some other people messed it up, but I cannot count on that. When you’re doing the business, when you’re doing anything, you cannot come for other people’s mess. You’ve got to make your own fortune. That’s what I’m trying to do.”
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