So there is some much-needed stability heading into 2025 on the technical side, with Technical Director Andrea de Sordo, Head of Aerodynamics Davide Raganelli, Chief Designer Tom Coupland and Deputy Chief Designer Jonathan Heal impressing Komatsu.
Attention then turned to the trackside operation, which Komatsu admitted was “one of the weakest areas”. Sweeping changes – the biggest seen since they entered the sport in 2016 – will see a brace of new race engineers, promoted from within with Laura Mueller working with Esteban Ocon and Ronan O’Hare teaming up with Ollie Bearman as replacements for Mark Slade and Gary Gannon.
READ MORE: Who are the 2025 F1 team principals?
They’ll work under a new Chief Race Engineer with Francesco Nenci taking a role that has been vacant for a year and Haas bolstering with Mark Lowe returning in the newly-created position of Sporting Director, while Carine Cridelich fills the empty role of Head of Strategy.
Komatsu is aware there will be growing pains, but equally he knows that to take the next step, such changes are necessary.
“There are still so many things we need to do,” he said. “We finished P7 [in 2024]. Yes, the target is P6 [in 2025], but we haven’t achieved that consistent result [from one year to the next], so even fighting for the same position, P6/P7, would be a huge achievement.”
