New Haas F1 Boss Komatsu: I Won’t Replace Steiner’s Character

Ayao Komatsu, the new boss of the Haas team in F1, has made it clear: I am not here to imitate the personality of his pioneer Guenther Steiner. “Of course. I’m not trying to be Guenther Steiner. He’s a very different person from me,” said Komatsu, speaking from Haas’ F1 factory in Banbury in an interview on his breakthrough, emphasizing that Steiner’s distinct character is something that cannot be imitated.

“I’m not here to change Guenther Steiner’s character. He has strengths and weaknesses that are very different from mine, so I’m not trying to be someone else. Gene [Haas, team owner] knows that, and if Gene wanted someone like that to replace Guenther Steiner , he would appoint someone else.

“I understand Gene wants something different, so I’m going to try to be the best version of me instead of trying to be someone else.”

Komatsu emphasized that its approach would differ from Steiner’s, but the goal was clear: to bring the best out of the forces within Haas.

“Obviously, I’m focused on getting better,” he said. “I’d like to think I’m correct enough and I don’t do politics. If you believe you have the right intention, if you have a clear motivation to bring out the best in the team, that will reach people and really strengthen them and bring them together.”

Komatsu, who was appointed team principal earlier this year, has spent the last few weeks understanding Haas’ strengths and weaknesses.

He stated that he wanted to meet as many staff as possible and visit the main facilities in Italy to gain an understanding before deciding to make changes.

“I’m going to go to Italy and meet all the designers and aerodynamic experts there,” he said.

“I need to increase my understanding in this area. What are the main problems? How can we improve them?

“I’ve talked to some people here, but it’s not like I’ve already talked to everyone. So, I want to wait until I talk to everyone. Then I want to bring people together and create an overview, instead of saying, ‘Okay, I’ve identified this in the last three days,’ which may not be an accurate representation.” “

While Komatsu has not yet reached any conclusions, it said better communication and improving working relationships at Haas facilities in the UK and Italy would be an area of focus.

Asked about a structure that spreads personnel across two countries, Komatsu said: “Of course, if you’re starting from scratch, you wouldn’t set up your F1 team with two separate factories in England and Italy. But that’s how we started.”

“It was very helpful to get back on track in ’16, ’17, ’18. Then, of course, the landscape changes, certain adjustments happen, and so the team evolves.

“These are things we have to constantly evaluate. But again, if you ask me, is it ideal to have an office here, an Italian office there? No. But the main constraint? No. Can we do better? Absolutely yes. So that’s what I’m focused on.”

It has been widely reported that a significant part of the disagreements between Steiner and team owner Haas was over the investment required for development.

While Steiner thought the extra cash was needed for the team to be better, Gene Haas believed it was more a case of maximizing what was available.

Komatsu is aware of the huge investments made at other teams such as McLaren, Aston Martin and AlphaTauri, but feels this is not the decisive element Haas needs immediately.

“It’s a very difficult task, but I’m still very positive about what we can do with our current setup,” he said.