The 2024 Formulation 1 season is considered one of change for Haas amid the departure of workforce boss Guenther Steiner and its technical director Simone Resta.
Dissatisfied with the shortage of progress, proprietor Gene Haas has swung the axe and entrusted new principal Komatsu to undertake a full-scale revision of its technical programme and make use of a extra engineering-led strategy.
As Haas revealed renders of Kevin Magnussen’s and Nico Hulkenberg’s 2024 machine, the VF-24, Komatsu has defined his imaginative and prescient of the place it has gone unsuitable for Haas, and why it should brace for short-term ache to take the subsequent step.
Failing to transform one-lap tempo into sustained race efficiency, partly because of tyre overheating points, Haas determined to vary the idea for final yr’s US Grand Prix in September in an effort to discover a remedy.
That redeveloped automotive did not yield main outcomes, and never solely did it fail to arrest its slide to final within the constructors’ championship, but it surely additionally pressured the squad to halt its 2024 automotive programme throughout a vital interval.
It was an enormous value to pay, with Komatsu anticipating Haas to be “in direction of the again of the grid if not final” in Bahrain. However he says that the experiment was essential to keep away from even greater points for 2024.
“We’re life like about our expectations for the VF-24 to start out,” mentioned Komatsu.
Ayao Komatsu, Chief Engineer, Haas F1 Crew, within the workforce principals Press Convention
Picture by: FIA Pool
“Out of the gates in Bahrain, I nonetheless assume we will be in direction of the again of the grid, if not final. The rationale our launch-spec automotive isn’t going to be fast sufficient in Bahrain isn’t due to the standard of the folks we’ve right here, but it surely’s as a result of we began late after which we stopped for 2 months to do the Austin improve.
“It was an enormous train to do, and it did delay our VF-24 improvement, but when we hadn’t carried out it after which had an enormous shock come pre-season testing, it will’ve damage us immensely.
“It was a tough stability, and doing the Austin bundle means the VF-24 launch automotive is probably not as superior because it could possibly be, however on the similar time, we’ve higher confidence in what we’re placing out on observe now.
“We’re all life like that our launch automotive in Bahrain won’t essentially flip heads, however our focus and focus is to work with the VF-24, perceive the automotive, after which outline the right pathway to improve the automotive.”
Lately Haas has had a bent to start out off sturdy however then fall behind in F1’s improvement conflict, which is one thing Komatsu is hoping to reverse with streamlined technical processes and a personnel reshuffle.
Andrea de Zordo has been promoted from chief designer to tech director to switch Resta, with Komatsu anticipating to advertise a brand new chief designer from inside.
He has additionally put in former Head of Car Efficiency Group Damien Brayshaw into the newly created place of Efficiency Director to have a wider remit and enhance communications throughout the automobile efficiency, trackside engineering and aero groups.
“I believe many individuals had been feeling the identical factor – not figuring out the place this workforce was going, how it’ll enhance,” Komatsu defined.
“We want a transparent goal, imaginative and prescient and communication, and to take away sure obstacles that did not have to be there. Everybody wants to grasp what they’re coping with, how this workforce is transferring ahead, and our strategy in direction of how we’re going racing.
“Drivers will play a stronger position too. Final yr, their understanding of what the weak point of the automotive was clear, nevertheless we weren’t then in a position to replicate that in our automotive improvement program. With the modifications we made within the workforce, we goal to handle this subject with our drivers extra within the loop of improvement paths in order that nothing will get misplaced.”
Kevin Magnussen, Haas VF-23, Nico Hulkenberg, Haas VF-23
Picture by: Michael Potts / Motorsport Photos
Komatsu believes that whereas Haas will forcibly begin 2024 on the again foot, the modifications he has made will translate right into a extra sturdy improve path, very like Andrea Stella’s McLaren tech workforce reshuffle initially of 2023 led to a powerful improvement curve across the summer season.
“When you have a look at the organisational construction beforehand, there wasn’t a transparent path to shut the loop on that facet,” the Japanese added. “Every thing that is discovered trackside, there’s now a closed loop going into the aero, wind tunnel and CFD departments. Now, at the least even when there is a disagreement, everybody is obvious about why we’re growing the automotive in a sure means.
“That is one key motive as to why we have not been in a position to put upgrades on the automotive and fall again within the season. We’re now already working in that means and there is a lot better transparency, openness, and communication. Due to this fact, I imagine we’ve a a lot better probability of upgrading the automotive correctly this yr.
“The main target is to have check programme for Bahrain in order that we’ve high quality knowledge to analyse and perceive [in] which route to develop the automotive.
“This implies understanding the power and weak point of the VF-24 precisely, then put a coherent plan collectively to provide updates on the automotive, which hasn’t occurred beforehand.”
