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Haas warn their drivers: 'If you repeat the Mick and Mazepin situation, you're in trouble!'
Haas F1 are set to embark on the next chapter with two new drivers sitting in their cars: British youngster Oliver Bearman and the experienced Frenchman, Esteban Ocon. Team principal Ayao Komatsu is confident the team will find a way to accommodate both of the drivers, but underlined that one thing cannot be repeated at the American team.
'Then you're in trouble'
The 2021 season was one to forget for the Haas F1 team. Ahead of the regulation change that came into effect in 2022, Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin scored zero points, and the two drivers had hairy moments on track, for example, in Azerbaijan. Team principal Ayao Komatsu, who was already working for the team at that point, believes what happened cannot be repeated. "I don't think Nikita and Mick is any example to go by. If you have to go back to that combination, basically you’re in trouble!"
Still, Komatsu does not see that happening this upcoming year with Bearman and Ocon. "I don't think we go back to '21. Seriously," the Japanese underlined. "I think if you look at how we operated last year, and then how we can improve as a team, what we did good last year, what we could have improved last year, and then take that learning for this year. So I don't look that far back to '21."
He continued: "It's completely different around the dynamics and drivers. So, honestly, with Esteban and Ollie there, [we have] two very, very good drivers, they have both got, not more to prove, but… It's funny about Ollie being a rookie, but I don't treat him as a rookie in the sense that, and I said to him, he can drive a lot, and with these young engineers as well, they can grow together."
Clear rules at Haas
Entering the 2025 season then, Komatsu explained that there will be clear communication with their drivers. "Rules of engagement have to be totally clear from day one. That will be clarified before the first race. I don't expect any teammate contact or DNFs because of that. But it's good, you have to race hard."
According to Komatsu, they only had a minor issue in that regard the first season he was named team principal. "But look at last year. Kevin is a hard racer, and Kevin and Nico, the closest we came to an issue which didn't become an issue was Austria. But that's partly because we operated in not a perfect manner in terms of pits, of timing, etc. We didn't help ourselves. So as a team, we shouldn't be creating that mess. But also, with an understanding of each other, as a teammate, rules of engagement would be perfectly clear," he concluded.
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