With 224 starts under his name, Nico Hulkenberg is one of the most experienced drivers on the current grid. Thanks to his experience of more than a decade, he has gained ample knowledge of what it takes to be successful in F1. Haas’ current team principal Ayao Komatsu believes that his side did not utilize Hulkenberg’s feedback on their car in the “right way” last season and paid for it.
“He shows us what the limit of the car is, how quick it can go. And he’s got really good feeling in the car, so he can tell you exactly what we need to improve to make the car go faster. But then again, last year his comments, his feedback wasn’t taken on board in the right way”, Komatsu explained on The Fast and the Curious podcast.
However, Komatsu believes that Haas have ensured to make good use of the German’s feedback this year and the results are now there for everyone to see. The Japanese engineer’s remarks could be a dig at former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner, who led the side until the end of last season.
Ayao Komatsu, welcome to the Fast and the Curious!
We spoke to him about the big changes he’s made in his first year in charge of Haas, the team’s changing driver line-up and of course climbing (up the grid… sorry!).#F1 #HaasF1 pic.twitter.com/cFyR9P0XVh
— The Fast And The Curious (@fastcuriouspod) November 15, 2024
Irrespective of whatever the reasons are for Haas’ improvement this season, there is ample evidence to suggest that Komatsu has been leading the team brilliantly so far. Under his leadership, the team is currently seventh in the Constructors’ Championship with 46 points, just three points behind sixth-placed Alpine.
In stark contrast, Haas finished rock-bottom last year, the kind of results that likely got Steiner the sack. However, unfortunately for Haas, they will lose both their drivers next season as Hulkenberg has decided to join Sauber and it is the American outfit who have decided against retaining Magnussen by signing Oliver Bearman.
Komatsu thankful to Magnussen for delivering brilliant performances for Haas
After joining Haas in 2017, Magnussen has been with the team every season since barring one — he had to sit out in 2021 after getting dropped. Since the Danish driver has been so loyal to the American outfit, Komatsu, who himself has been on the team since its inception back in 2016, is sad to see the 32-year-old depart.
“Kevin’s qualifying may not be as strong as Nico’s consistently, but his race is often very very good. He is a strong racer and he’s got a strong head. I have been working with Kevin for seven seasons I think at Haas, one off, and he has been a great part of the team. It is mixed emotions to see him leave the team,” explained Komatsu.
Having said that, the 48-year-old is also looking forward to the future, something he thinks is likely to be bright with the likes of Bearman and Esteban Ocon coming in. Komatsu was all praises for Bearman during the podcast, expressing that the 19-year-old is very mature for his age.
As for Ocon, Komatsu believes that the French driver is still relatively young at 28, and will be hungry to achieve a lot more success. With two new drivers coming in, it would be interesting to see the dynamics of the team.
