The 'gut instinct' being proven right at Haas

Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu believes trusting his "gut instinct" is paying dividends in his first season at the helm of the American squad.

In an exclusive interview with RacingNews365, the 48-year-old says it is: "good to know that in life, if you believe in people, this can happen."

Komatsu feels the personnel at the team are proving him right for adopting the approach he has over his first eight months in charge, as Haas reaps the rewards.

Since taking over from Guenther Steiner in January, the car's key weakness has been eradicated and the team has been able to successfully introduce upgrades, the culture has changed, owner Gene Haas is further investing in the team and results have improved.

"Oh massively," Komatsu replies when asked how much all of those factors are helping him during his rookie season as team principal.

"Because these guys are, in a way, proving me right, if you like. I trusted them - I trust them - and then they are producing the goods.

"So, I'm very happy for them. I'm very happy they're proving me right. It's good to know that in life, if you believe in people, this can happen."

'I'm not bullshitting you...'

At this stage of the season last year, Haas had collected a mere 11 points, and would go on to claim just one more over the remainder of the campaign.

This term, it has already scored 27 and looks well-positioned to fight RB for sixth in the constructors' standings over the final 10 rounds.

If it can overturn that seven point deficit, it will mark the team's best finish in the championship since 2018.

The people within the team below Komatsu have not changed to any significant degree, and it has the same drivers as it did in 2023 - although will have an entirely new line-up next year - but yet the results are drastically different.

"You've got to trust your gut instinct sometimes, saying: 'these people are good people, these people have got potential.' I always felt that. I'm not bullshitting you," Komatsu explains.

"But if you ask me: 'how do you know that?' I can only tell you, by talking with these people, that's what I felt, I believed."

The key to Komatsu's operational philosophy at Haas is evidently empowerment, and he highlights "freedom" and "being listened to" as the central pillars to establishing the "environment" needed to succeed.

"And then they're doing it," he adds. "If they feel like they've got freedom, [if] they feel they've got listened to - they are the ones in the wind tunnel, they are the ones running simulations, CFD simulations, every day.

"So they know the best. They don't need somebody above telling them what to do - they've got to be given the environment."