F1 News: Ayao Komatsu UNSURE whether key issues are fixed

Ayao Komatsu, Bahrain GP, Haas, 2024 — Photo: © IMAGO

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F1 team boss UNSURE whether key issues are fixed

The team are still struggling with their car

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Monday 11 March 2024 14:42

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A Formula 1 team principal is unsure as to whether or not his team have managed to fix an issue that has hampered them for multiple seasons.

Haas have started the 2024 season off strongly, with their car clearly appearing strong in qualifying, and Nico Hulkenberg managing to score the team's first point at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

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This is despite the American outfit having finished last in the constructors' championship in 2023, prompting a change of team principal, with Guenther Steiner being replaced by Komatsu.

One of the main aspects of Haas' poor season in 2023 was the inability to convert strong qualifying performances into serious points-scoring finishes.

Ayao Komatsu is Haas' new team principal

Nico Hulkenberg claimed points in Jeddah

Haas' tyre degradation problems not entirely fixed

Reasons for Haas' poor race performances in 2023 were often pointed towards their car being particularly bad with tyre degradation, meaning Kevin Magnussen and Hulkenberg would find themselves falling down the order at races.

Now, Komatsu has said that, although their new challenger has clearly improved in that aspect, he's not sure whether this will be the case at all races in 2024.

"I wouldn't say we completely got over it," he told Autosport. "We got much better handle on it and then we have a car that is much more consistent, so that helps.

"But our race pace is still weaker versus our qualifying pace, so we still got work to do on that.

"So, I don't think we are completely on top of it. I'm happy with the progress we made, but we really have to stay focused and make sure that we stay on top of it for various different circuits and conditions."

Formula 1 Toto Wolff Haas Nico Hulkenberg Saudi Arabian Grand Prix Guenther Steiner