Ayao Komatsu has now spent a year in charge of Haas, but the team principal admits he ‘feels bad’ about an unsustainable issue that could jeopardise the American crew.
January 2024 returned a changing of the guard at Haas as Komatsu stepped up from his role as their director of engineering to replace Guenther Steiner in the top position. Team owner Gene Haas would come to love his call to promote Komatsu when Steiner’s contract expired.
Steiner led Haas’ second-worst season in Formula 1 to date in 2023 with just 12 points from 22 rounds for 10th place in the constructors’ championship. But after Komatsu removed the fear and terror Steiner spread at Haas, they got seventh with 58 points in 24 rounds in 2024.
Ayao Komatsu fears Haas’ small size risks the F1 team’s staff having a ‘breakdown’
Another new dawn also awaits Haas in 2025 with drivers Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman after Nico Hulkenberg left for Sauber and Komatsu opted to replace Kevin Magnussen. Now, Komatsu wants Gene Haas to help the Japanese engineer alleviate the burden on their staff.
Haas are the smallest team in F1 by number of staff, with only 330 people currently working for the American outfit. Only Sauber with circa 500 staff have a similar amount of employees but are currently holding a recruitment drive ahead of becoming Audi’s works outfit in 2026.
READ MORE: All to know about Haas F1 Team from team principal to Ferrari and Toyota ties
Haas’ employee numbers even barely make a scratch compared to rival squads like Williams, for whom more than 1,000 people work in Grove. So, while Haas successfully held their first Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) run earlier this month, Komatsu fears their staff will burn out.
“I don’t think so because look at the numbers – 330 people, it’s nowhere,” Komatsu has told RACER. “What is amazing about this team is we’re asking a lot from everyone. People are doing one or two or three jobs.
“The TPC, it was so smooth, no issues, everything on time, like we’ve been doing it for five years. But that’s only because people go the extra mile, being proactive and thinking ahead.
“But I feel bad, I can’t rely on that as a baseline, that’s not sustainable. We cannot drive people to a breakdown. We have to increase the resource capability so we can achieve those things without feeling like you’re going to collapse.
“Every time we try to improve, the minute you think ‘I’m stabilised’, we’re doing more [and] we’re making improvements. It’s challenging for everyone.”
Ayao Komatsu has shown Gene Haas what is possible with Haas’ Toyota partnership
Staff members serving in multiple roles was not the only key factor behind Haas enjoying a successful debut TPC run at Jerez with Ocon and Bearman earlier this month. Instead, what made a big difference for Haas was that Komatsu convinced Toyota to return to F1 last year.
READ MORE: Who is 2025 Haas driver Oliver Bearman? Everything to know
Team owner Gene Haas did not want to invest in a TPC programme but Komatsu convinced Toyota to become a technical partner and help Haas stage tests with their older F1 cars. If it was not for Komatsu bringing Toyota back to F1 after 15 years, Haas would not do TPC runs.
So, having proven what Haas can do with technical support from Toyota, Komatsu will hope Gene listens to his plea to increase their staff size. Haas have always had a small workforce owing to their technical ties with Ferrari and buying many car parts from external suppliers.
