New Haas Team Principal reveals squad 'frustration'

Newly appointed Haas Formula 1 Team Principal Ayao Komatsu hasspoken out about a “source of frustration” over the last number ofyears. Haas announced on Wednesday evening that Komatsu hasreplaced Guenther Steiner as Team Principal ahead of the 2024 F1campaign. The US-owned squad has endured a number of difficultseasons over the last handful of years and concluded the 2023campaign at the bottom of the standings. Its car was often unableto compete in race trim as it struggled to maintain performancedespite some strong qualifying outings. Komatsu has stated that itslack of form across the last handful of years has sproutedfrustration within the team. “We are a performance-based business,” Komatsu stated. “We obviously haven’t been competitive enoughrecently which has been a source of frustration for us all. “Wehave amazing support from Gene and our various partners, and wewant to mirror their enthusiasm with an improved on-track product.“We have a great team of people across Kannapolis, Banbury andMaranello and together I know we can achieve the kind of resultswe’re capable of.” New direction Komatsu has been promoted to therole following a number of years working as its Director ofEngineering. Amid its slump in form, Komatsu will oversee theday-to-day operations of the squad as it aims to propel up thepecking order. “I’m naturally very excited to have the opportunityto be Team Principal at Haas F1 Team,” added Komatsu. “Having beenwith the team since its track debut back in 2016 I’m obviouslypassionately invested in its success in F1. “I’m looking forward toleading our program and the various competitive operationsinternally to ensure we can build a structure that producesimproved on-track performances.”