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Gene Haas is optimistic about his team’s stronger position in the Formula 1 midfield following the decision to replace team principal Guenther Steiner with Ayao Komatsu, which has resulted in a more competitive 2024 season.
Steiner’s contract was not renewed last year, leading to Komatsu’s promotion for the new season. Haas, who finished at the bottom of the constructors’ championship twice in the last three years, has seen an improvement with the team currently in seventh place after consecutive sixth-place finishes by Nico Hulkenberg. The team owner aims to maintain this level of competitiveness.
“We have reached a certain level and now need to sustain it, not regress,” Haas (pictured above) told SiriusXM. “While our car may not be as fast as we would like, it is currently performing at its best to compete in the midfield. If we can stay in this position, we’ll be in good shape.
“We have more upgrades planned for the season. These upgrades have been more successful than in previous years, hopefully keeping us ahead of our competitors.”
Haas found it easy to appoint a new team principal despite Steiner holding the role since the team’s inception, citing the consistent poor finishes as motivation for change.
“We implemented several changes, and they are proving to be effective. It’s all positive,” he said. “After four years of finishing almost last, I was motivated to make a change.”
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Haas witnessed the sixth-place finishes in Austria and Great Britain by Hulkenberg and was pleased with how the team capitalized on opportunities. However, he acknowledged that it was bittersweet knowing that Hulkenberg would depart at the end of the season.
“It’s a satisfying feeling. We made the right choices with tire selections, pit calls, and all the other details,” Haas remarked. “We executed flawlessly without any mistakes.
“Hulkenberg pushes the car to its limits; we know that he extracts every ounce of performance from it. In racing, things evolve, and you adapt to the changes.”
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