Haas had little hope heading into the 2024 season, with new team principal Ayao Komatsu dismissing chances of a strong start. He insisted Haas’ development will take time, and predicted starting from the back of the grid for the first half of the season at least. However, Guenther Steiner’s replacement seems to have turned the tables at Haas, and after three races, the Kannapolis-based outfits sits in P7 with 4 points. Seeing these positive results, Komatsu is now in favor of trying out a new strategy.
In an email sent to Haas members that found its way into Reddit, Komatsu detailed that they will be upgrading their car earlier than planned and revealed that the team’s aerodynamic department has been doing “solid work”. The email read:
“Originally, we were going to bring our first upgrade slightly later in the season, but our Aerodynamics team has been doing some solid work. So instead, we’re going to bring updates earlier, which is a change for the team.”
The 48-year-old added his team saw encouraging signs for the upgrades and are keen to prove it on the track. Chances are that the upgrade package might come immediately after the upcoming Asian leg of the calendar. Komatsu said in the mail that he will get in touch with his crew before their first home race of the season in Miami, which looks like their planned venue for bringing in the planned upgrades.
So far, Haas looks like a much-improved team, with issues like tire-wear reducing significantly since Steiner departed. Their race pace has also improved, allowing drivers to compete for points, and the entire outfit seems to be heading in the right direction. A boost in development can only help the American team make bigger strides in the coming months.
Guenther Steiner unhappy with the mentality at Haas
Ahead of the 2024 season, Guenther Steiner got the boot from Haas, leaving him without a job. However, an opportunity soon came knocking on his door in another form, with Steiner becoming an F1 pundit. He has also become an ambassador for the upcoming Miami GP, which is the home race of his ex-employer, Haas.
Discussing Haas’ approach to 2024, Steiner claimed that they shouldn’t have downplayed expectations, as reported by Planet F1. He knew the numbers from the wind tunnel and knew what Haas could achieve. However, Steiner feels that the team needed an excuse to get away with failure, had things not worked out but he doesn’t understand the need behind it.
He also praised Simone Resta, who worked on the 2024-spec Haas car before leaving for Mercedes. He lauded their efforts to get the best out of their latest car while also keeping tire wear to a minimum. Steiner was also appreciative of the entire team and expressed his happiness over them scoring points in back-to-back races. Despite all this, he remains wary of the season ahead, given others will also upgrade their cars soon.
