F1 team boss admits 2024 car is ‘not fantastic’ with big issue before Bahrain GP

Follow us on Google Discover

New Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu admits the VF-24 is ‘not fantastic’ as the car Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg will drive at the Bahrain GP has a clear issue.

The 2024 Formula 1 season is now just mere days away with the lights going out in Sakhir on March 2. It also marks the first race of a record-breaking 24-round season in which Komatsu debuts in charge of Haas. He replaced Guenther Steiner at the helm of the squad in January.

Team owner Gene Haas elected against renewing Steiner’s contract as the American-owned outfit finished the 2023 season 10th and last in the constructors’ championship. Magnussen and Hulkenberg would only combine for 12 points from 22 rounds with three and nine each.

Ayao Komatsu admits Haas ‘still lack downforce’ with 2024 F1 car

Woeful tyre degradation problems plagued Haas’ campaign last year as the VF-23 often tore through its Pirellis. Magnussen and Hulkenberg could occasionally qualify well with P4 at the Miami GP and P2 at the Canadian GP each. But they ended those races in only P10 and P15.

Komatsu feels the VF-23 also struggled to cope in certain wind and track conditions, which also culminated in giving Haas’ drivers an ‘inconsistent’ car. But Formula 1’s pre-season test in Bahrain last week proved the VF-24 is a step forward. It is not ‘nasty’ like its predecessor.

“Last year’s car was inconsistent,” Komatsu has outlined, via Motorsport-Total. “It was pretty nasty. Depending on the conditions – tyre condition, wind conditions or track temperature – the car didn’t behave very predictably.

“This year’s car, on the other hand, behaves predictably – it is consistent. Yes, we still lack downforce, especially at high speeds and in the balance between medium and low speeds. But I don’t think it has any nasty properties.”

Ayao Komatsu feels the VF-24 is ‘not fantastic’ for the Bahrain GP

The VF-24’s predictable nature in testing further encourages Komatsu that Haas could also improve their tyre degradation issues. But its lack of downforce is a big problem, particularly during the high-speed corners, which shows they will only have a base car at the Bahrain GP.

“I feel like this year’s car is just good enough [and] consistent enough that we can actually influence tyre degradation through the way we tune the car or ask the drivers to drive the car,” Komatsu added. “So, yeah, I think it’s a good step forward.

“But it’s really the base car. I’m not saying our base car is fantastic, it’s not. You can see that it still has way too little downforce at high speed. But at least it has a constant pace and the drivers know what to expect in every single round.”

The 2023 season-opening Bahrain GP saw Hulkenberg secure P10 in qualifying on his debut for Haas. Magnussen would only secure P17 to bow out in Q1 as his stablemate progressed to Q3. Yet Hulkenberg dropped to P15 by the chequered flag as Magnussen finished in 13th.