As the 2024 Formula 1 season enters its second half, the Haas F1 team has set its sights on a key objective: securing sixth place in the Constructors' Championship.
With a strong start to the year, Haas has exceeded expectations, amassing more than double the points they managed in the entire 2023 season.
Currently sitting seventh in the standings with 27 points, the American outfit is just seven points behind RB, their closest rival in P6.
As far as Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu is concerned, his team’s target in the back half of the season is clear.
“Looking at where we are now, we are seven points behind P6, RB, so we have to go for trying to get P6 in the championship,” Komatsu explained, speaking during the summer break on Haas’ YouTube channel.
“That’s our target for the rest of the season.”
Despite Haas’ reasonably strong position, the US outfit faces challenges, particularly after two tough weekends in Hungary and Belgium before the summer break.
Komatsu acknowledged the need to assess the reasons behind their struggles in those races to improve their performance in the upcoming events.
“Straight after shutdown, in Zandvoort, see if we can perform and then get back to scoring points,” he said.
“Budapest was tough and Spa was tough, and we are looking into now why we couldn’t perform in those two races, so [we can gain an] understanding of that.
©Haas
“It’s too late to then influence the development, because development for the rest of the season is done now, but just in terms of how we set the car up for the track, how we go about managing tyres, etc.
“Any learning we can take from Budapest and Spa would be beneficial. It’s really a continuous process, but the sporting target will be trying to fight for P6 in the championship.”
Beyond achieving a specific position in the standings, Komatsu highlighted the importance of teamwork as a critical factor in determining the success of Haas’s season.
When asked about the one achievement he would like the team to finish 2024 with, Komatsu reflected on the value of unity within the team.
©Haas
“Honestly, I think a real sense of teamwork,” he answered.
“I think we are doing much better as a team, but if we can finish the season and when everyone here [can] look back and say, ‘right, we worked as a team, we put it together, [in] tough times, good times, we worked together and then produced this result as a team’, and if everyone in the team can feel like they can own this result, whatever we achieve end of the season…
“It doesn’t matter who you are, if each person feels like, ‘I contributed to this success, I own this result’, I think that’s a success.”
As the season resumes at the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort, Haas will be focused not only on chasing down RB for sixth place but also on fostering a strong, cohesive team environment that they believe is crucial for long-term success.
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