New Haas boss hints at 2024 target set by owner after replacing Guenther Steiner
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Komatsu surprisingly replaced the popular Guenther Steiner as team principal, after Haas finished bottom of the championship last year.Team owner Gene Haas has made it clear to his new team principal that they must improve upon last year’s finish.Komatsu was asked if he has been set a specific target, and told Sky Sports: “In terms of the championship, yes.”I think I’d like to communicate that internally first, before I communicate it externally.”Komatsu strongly hinted that Gene Haas wants his team to avoid finishing bottom of the constructors’ championship again, as they have done in two of the past three years.”It’s a competition so nobody enjoys being last,” he said. “Of course, we can only improve from that.”Komatsu joined Haas in 2016 and, most recently, was director of engineering before landing Steiner’s old job.Related Komatsu sides with Gene Haas over “embarrassing” 2023 remark Unclear future and F1 exit on the cards for departing Haas technical directorHe therefore brings an engineering background to the top role, as opposed to Steiner’s business savvy.”I certainly see things slightly in a different way and a slightly different approach,” Komatsu said. “I’m sure even with certain constraints we have got in this team I believe we can do a better job.”We can improve quite a lot in various areas. If I didn’t think that, I wouldn’t have accepted the job.”Haas drivers Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen saw their weekends disrupted by poor tyre management on occasions last year.Gene Haas called his team’s performance “embarrassing”.Komatsu was an important part of Haas even last year but is now charged with turning their fortunes around.”I was on the pit wall every single race, an hour and a half or two hours of that race,” he said. “It is embarrassing to qualify [in a] half decent position, and then you know that on Sunday afternoon you are going backwards because of the limitation we have.”So it is embarrassing. Gene’s completely right. “That’s not why we are here. So I’m here to improve on that.”
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