Haas F1 team principal Ayao Komatsu has confirmed that the final choice on who gets to drive for the squad next year will come down to the man who owns the team, Gene Haas.
Current driver Nico Hulkenberg has just announced that he has signed for Audi on a multi-year contract from 2025. Kevin Magnussen is expected to stay with Haas, with Oliver Bearman the top tip to join him.
Komatsu - who took over as principal from Guenther Steiner just before the start of the season - says that he and Haas have a good relationship, and that Haas always plays an active role in key decision making such as the driver line-up.
"I put the fact or opinion to him, but he’s the owner," Komatsu told the media including RacingNews365 when asked how the dynamic between principal and owner works at Haas.
"He listens, but the final say is Gene," he said. "But it’s not like a dictatorship: we have a very good dialogue, understanding each other, but at the end of the day it’s Gene’s team – he’s the owner."
Komatsu explained that many factors were considered when it came to deciding on drivers, including the financial side with Haas' engineering business a major source of the funds needed to keep the team in operation.
"It’s always case-by-case, really," Komatsu said when asked if Haas gave him a fixed amount to work to when it came to signing drivers. "He’s never said to me ‘This is the money, I’m not spending any more’ – nothing like that.
"[It's] always putting pros and cons: if we sign this driver, these are the pros, these are the cons, this could be the implication for the championship.
"One championship position in terms of prize money is huge," he pointed out. "You’ve got to take all those things into consideration.
"[It comes down to] 'This guy costs X amount, or much more, but this guy is gonna make a difference in championship position," he explained.
"It’s difficult to say, of course, but you can look at it with let’s say previous year’s average, circumstantial evidence, etc,." he said. "But the main thing is that we have a very good conversation frequently. That’s the key."
While Magnussen will probably stay with the team for another season, nothing is settled at this point. But Bearman's full-time promotion to the grid after his successful stand-in debut run in Jeddah looks assured.
The Ferrari reserve was called up at the last minute when the team's regular driver Carlos Sainz was diagnosed with appendicitis the day before the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and had to undergo surgery.
Bearman managed to finish in the points in the race with a flawless maiden outing. Haas, with its links to Ferrari, is the obvious team for the British driver to transfer to in 2025 for a full rookie campaign.
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