Despite ten years in Formula 1, Haas remains penalized by limited resources compared to its rivals, as explained by Ayao Komatsu.
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Present in Formula 1 since 2016, Haas is still trying to establish itself sustainably higher in the hierarchy. The American team has experienced encouraging periods during its first decade in the sport, but its operation remains very different from that of the most important teams on the grid.
Its best result dates back to 2018, when Haas finished fifth in the constructors’ championship, dominating much of the midfield. Since then, the team has alternated between difficult seasons and periods of progress without truly taking a new step forward.
For Ayao Komatsu, one of the main explanations is relatively simple: Haas still does not have the same financial and human resources as its competitors.
Developments that take longer to arrive
With reduced staff, Haas is forced to set much stricter priorities in the development of its car. A weakness that concerns not only the design of new parts but the entire chain that allows an idea to be transformed into an evolution actually installed on the car.
“As always, we have to set our priorities a lot and progress is then slow because of our resources, our tools, and the environment we have,” explains Ayao Komatsu.
Even when a solution is identified, Haas cannot necessarily implement it as quickly as its rivals.
“This also concerns manufacturing. Between the moment when we find a solution, whether in the design office or internally, and when we can bring it to the track, it takes more time.”
The Japanese engineer emphasizes the global nature of the problem. According to him, there is no specific department that could simply be strengthened to transform the team’s performance.
“If you look at every part of our activity, many things need to be improved to give the team better chances to fight. The reaction has been excellent, but between this reaction and the implementation of solutions, it takes us more time than some other teams.”
The problem is primarily financial
Asked about the main origin of these limitations, Komatsu does not try to avoid the question.
“It is mainly financial. In terms of structure, I do not see a major problem.”
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The Haas boss believes that the current organization can still improve without requiring a deep restructuring. On the other hand, more revenue would allow strengthening the teams, improving the software and available tools, and accelerating certain processes.
“Of course, the structure can be better, but there are many other things we can put in place before having to change it. With slightly higher revenues, we could give more resources to people, better software, better tools, and improve processes and procedures.”
Haas is therefore working to increase its commercial revenues. Komatsu notably highlights the arrival of three new partners announced over the past two months.
“Little by little, we are bringing in the right partners. It is not just about money, but also collaboration. We are gradually integrating these partners to improve the team together.”
A small team can also become less efficient
Haas has long claimed a particularly compact model. But Komatsu now acknowledges that this philosophy also has its limits.
The lack of personnel forces some team members to take on multiple roles, which can end up producing the opposite effect of what is intended.
“It is not just a question of numbers, but regarding the number of people in the team, we are really at the limit. The same person holds several different roles.”
“Normally, being smaller means being more efficient, but beyond a certain point, it actually becomes inefficient.”
Komatsu therefore wants to strengthen certain departments to better distribute the workload and accelerate the development of the car.
“I would clearly recruit and strengthen certain departments simply to give them more resources.”
Seventh in the championship with 27 points and now on a run of five Grands Prix without scoring, Haas must regain performance in the second half of the season. But to hope to sustainably get closer to the top positions, Komatsu believes that progress must also continue away from the circuits.
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