"It takes time for that person to understand the team": Ayao Komatsu on why Haas promoted someone from within as team principal
Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu mentioned that team owner Gene Haas considered appointing a person from outside the team for his role after the departure of Guenther Steiner.
The Italian-American was let go by the team owner after his contract wasn't renewed owing to poor results in the past couple of years. The only American team on the grid hasn't finished above P8 in the Constructors Championship since the end of their highly successful 2018 campaign, where they managed P5.
Speaking with Japanese outlet Auto-sport Web, Ayao Komatsu pointed out that had the team owner appointed someone from outside as the team principal, it would have taken that person time to understand the people and the culture of Haas. He said:
"When bringing in someone from outside, it takes time for that person to understand the team, so Gene concluded that it had to be someone from within the team who understood the current situation. I think so. Even if the team has the same management system, it will take time to start working and understand the team, and there is a possibility that the 2024 season will be in jeopardy.
"Before you can improve your team, it's easy to make more of a mess. Considering our unique environment, I think it was difficult to hire someone from outside to improve the team as quickly as possible."
Haas team boss reflects on when the owner decided to change the leadership
Ayao Komatsu reflected that team owner Gene Haas was considering changing the leadership of the team in the second half of the season as the American team was slipping away in the championship battle compared to their rivals.
The 47-year-old Japanese said, via the aforementioned source:
"Gene didn't make his decision in a short period of time, but I think he was thinking about it for at least the second half of the 2023 season. He wants to play in the midfield and believes he has the ability to do so.
"Even he was embarrassed to see his team fall to the bottom of the constructors' championship. I think he was slowly getting frustrated."
It will be fascinating to see if Komatsu can instantly bring in results for the team in the 2024 season given the inconsistent nature of the car last year. The team, who finished 10th in the Constructors Championship last season with only 12 points, may not have the time required to overhaul the concept with the pre-season testing just a few weeks away.