F1 team boss admits they’ve ‘got a real car issue’ ahead of 2024 season

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New Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu admits the American-owned Formula 1 team have a ‘real car issue’ and they do not understand it ‘100%’ ahead of the 2024 season.

The new campaign is now only four weeks away with the lights going out for the Bahrain GP on March 2. Pre-season testing also commences at the Sakhir circuit from February 21 to 23. But Haas are set to fly to the Middle East not knowing how to fix an issue with their new car.

Last season was Haas’ second-worst campaign in F1 so far after finishing the year bottom of the constructors’ championship. Only in 2021 when they ended the season without a single point had Haas ever finished any campaign in last place before. They took 12 points in 2023.

Komatsu replaced Steiner after Haas’ second-worst season in F1

Haas have made a big change in a bid to address last year’s issues with Komatsu replacing Guenther Steiner as their team principal. He had led the outfit since Haas entered F1 back in the 2016 season. While Komatsu steps up from his position as Haas’ director of engineering.

Steiner was out of contract after 2023 and team owner Gene Haas opted against giving him a new deal. Haas has sought fresh leadership as his team spent most of 2023 trying to work out how the VF-23 was regularly quick in qualifying but tumbled backwards come the races.

Haas even took P2 on the grid for the Canadian GP with Nico Hulkenberg and P4 with Kevin Magnussen at the Miami GP. Yet Hulkenberg only took points in P7 at the Australian GP and P6 in the Austrian GP Sprint. Magnussen claimed P10 in Saudi Arabia, Miami and Singapore.

Haas have a ‘real car issue’ on the eve of the 2024 Formula 1 season

Haas introduced a major upgrade package at the United States GP in October, as well, to try and resolve the VF-23’s awful tyre degradation. But their new parts did not do the trick and Magnussen even reverted to the previous specification so Haas could compare their data.

Now, Komatsu admits that Haas still do not understand ‘everything’ that is wrong with their car on the eve of the 2024 Formula 1 campaign. But even if they did know what needs fixing with the VF-24, Haas’ wider issues may stop the American-owned team making corrections.

“I don’t think we understand everything,” Komatsu has admitted to Autosport. “I think we understand a significant part of it. But the only proof is if you can produce a car that can deal with the problem.

“I don’t like to sit here and say that we understand it 100%. We don’t. But we have a decent idea of why and where we need to focus on.”

Komatsu also added: “We’ve got a real car issue, accept it, then communicate and discuss it openly with all the relevant people. And, even then, if around the table there is still a disagreement from certain people, you cannot avoid that.”

Komatsu admits Haas ‘cannot improve’ under their previous practices

Improving the lines of communication for Haas is one area Komatsu is now eager to address as their new team principal. The Japanese engineer does not see anything wrong with their engineers not seeing eye-to-eye. But he takes issue with how the team has been operating.

He continued: “I do think that disagreement is healthy as long as everybody then knows that a decision needs to be taken. So, somebody needs to take a decision and we’re going to go in this direction. That’s fine.

“But when one group says, ‘I think this is a problem’, and this guy says, ‘Ok fine’, and then doesn’t communicate together afterwards and keeps going in his direction, then we cannot improve. I think working practices need to improve.”