Nico Hulkenberg got a second chance in F1 at Haas in 2023 and now will be heading to Sauber for the 2025 season. While the German driver is keen on building the Hinwil-based outfit with Audi coming in, he also reflected on the two seasons he spent at Haas.
Both seasons were rather polar opposites as the American team struggled immensely in 2023 and finished rock bottom in the standings. However, in 2024, they managed to overturn their fortunes to regularly score points and improved their position to seventh in the Constructors’ standings.
Hulkenberg benefitted immensely due to Haas’ improvement as he scored the bulk of their points. He feels that their new team principal Ayao Komatsu definitely made a difference by helping the side take a step forward this season. However, he also credited former team principal Guenther Steiner for some of the changes he made under his leadership in 2023.
“[The] change of team boss was of course a change of scenery, it was fresh, new input from an engineer, from a team member who was already a member”, Hulkenberg said. The German praised Komatsu‘s “360-degree understanding of the whole subject matter, of every job that takes place.”
The Japanese engineer understood “everything, the background, the processes, and of course a different new management style.” Hulkenberg highlighted how Haas implemented some key changes to the car concept when Steiner was the team principal.
“I have huge respect for Guenther and what he’s achieved” ⭐
Ayao Komatsu on former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner pic.twitter.com/yUAoCp7rpc
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) January 17, 2024
He could be talking about their big pivot in concept at the 2023 US GP weekend in Austin, which did not yield immediate performance but set Haas on a course to find some gains over the winter. When Komatsu took charge after Steiner‘s exit, he implemented several procedural changes that helped them achieve their potential in the 2024 season.
Komatsu has got things under control at Haas
Haas’ engineers seem to have got things under control since Komatsu became the team principal as he brought in a different system of communicating about the car’s upgrades and drivers’ feedback on its performance on the track. This simple procedural improvement helped Haas produce effective upgrades in 2024.
Naturally, the Haas team have the advantage of collaborating with Ferrari for their power unit, gearbox, and all the components that they can borrow from them. So, they only need to nail their aero concept and there is little chance of the Kannapolis-based outfit failing to achieve its potential.
Heading into 2025, they will have the challenge of replicating their 2024 performance and perhaps taking a step forward with a fresh driver pairing. While Esteban Ocon is an experienced driver coming on board, they will hope Oliver Bearman delivers on the promise he showed via his cameo appearances this season.
Previously, Haas have got their hands burnt by fielding a completely new driver line-up when they signed Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin for 2021. So, Komatsu and Co. will hope that their past mistake is not repeated with Ocon and Bearman.
