Haas seems to be in a better position in 2024 after Ayao Komatsu took over as Team Principal from Guenther Steiner. Owner Gene Haas also seems to recognize the same and has now set new expectations heading into the second half of the season.
When asked about the current status of his team, Gene told SiriusXM (as quoted by F1 Maximaal), “Things are looking good“.
The 71-year-old then added that the “bad seasons” that the team has had seem to be a thing of the past. In fact, Gene believes that it’s those difficult times that have helped his side turn their fortunes this year.
“The bad seasons that the team has had in recent years provided extra motivation to change course. For four years we were at the very back or almost at the back. That motivated me,” he explained.
Gene now hopes that Komatsu can just help his side maintain their current position in the Constructors standings. As things stand, the American team is seventh in the standings and has scored 27 points. Although they are four points behind rivals V-CARB, they are comfortably clear of the bottom three teams.
| Another set of upgrades is in the pipeline at Haas.
They want to cement themselves as a top 6 team:https://t.co/YnvqWWrD7T
— formularacers (@formularacers_) July 13, 2024
Haas is 18 points clear of eight-placed Alpine, a further five points clear of ninth-placed Williams, and a full 27 points clear of rock-bottom Sauber. However, if Haas is to maintain P7 in the standings, upgrades need to work in the Kannapolis-based outfit’s favor.
Haas’ 2024 season so far
With 12 races under the belt, the 2024 campaign is at its halfway stage. So far, Haas has performed brilliantly by bringing in upgrades that have helped their drivers register positive results.
The team introduced two new upgrades for the race at Silverstone that helped Nico Hulkenberg register a fantastic P6 finish. Haas had introduced a revised floor body to generate a higher aerodynamic load. Meanwhile, they also introduced a new sidepod inlet geometry to improve the airflow toward the rear of their car.
Hulkenberg too, seems happy with Haas’ upgrades as he praised the team after his British GP result. The German driver is having an outstanding campaign and is currently P12 in the standings.
Kevin Magnussen, the other Haas driver, meanwhile, hasn’t quite been as impressive as Hulkenberg. He has just five points to his name compared to Hulkenberg’s 22 and is P16 in the standings.
