Haas workforce principal Ayao Komatsu believes constructing belief with Esteban Ocon and ensuring there isn’t a ambiguity about the best way the workforce operates might be central to the Frenchman’s success.
Ocon will be part of Haas in 2025 after leaving Alpine, the place his departure was introduced shortly after he was criticized for his function in a collision with teammate Pierre Gasly within the Monaco Grand Prix. Komatsu has partnered Ocon with rookie Ollie Bearman in an all-new Haas line-up subsequent yr, and says he has by no means had any main issues between drivers so long as what is predicted of them is made clear beforehand.
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“Actually, I believe a lot of it comes right down to transparency, belief after which readability of guidelines of engagement,” Komatsu mentioned. “I believe that issues occur when a sure belief is damaged between workforce and driver.
“Not in my present place however I’ve been doing Method 1 for a fairly very long time – in my numerous positions of race engineer, chief race engineer, director of engineering or present place of tam principal – my expertise is that so long as I strategy them with transparency, no private agenda, a transparent workforce’s agenda about how we have to undergo this race weekend or this yr, what’s the target, what’s the principles of engagement… So long as that’s clarified upfront, so long as the communication is completely clear then the belief is there.
“When the belief is there then I haven’t really encountered any points that obtained out of hand. So I’m not apprehensive, personally. If I used to be apprehensive then I wouldn’t have chosen this mixture, as a result of it’s my accountability that we now have two drivers that work for one of the best pursuits of the workforce. I’ve little question that Ollie and Esteban will ship that.”
Komatsu acknowledges the collision with Gasly in Monaco was one thing he mentioned with Ocon earlier than finalizing the Frenchman’s arrival.
“After all we needed to contemplate it. It’s not prefer it’s gone unnoticed, it’s a fairly main incident. So I had a dialog with him, and nonetheless made that call. I’m proud of it.”
Komatsu says he was shocked by how invested within the Haas undertaking Ocon was as soon as it was outlined to him as a part of negotiations, as he was capable of entice a driver from a works’ workforce.
“He’s solely 27, he’s nonetheless obtained heaps to show, and for me he’s nonetheless obtained superb dedication and work ethic, and after I met him and defined the undertaking to him about the place we’re and what we’re attempting to attain, I wasn’t attempting to persuade him, I simply informed him as it’s. After which he simply obtained utterly on board, to be sincere way more so than I anticipated.
“He was so engaged, he needed to be a part of this undertaking and he believes on this undertaking. It means quite a bit to me that we now have a driver – skilled driver – with a great observe document, nonetheless younger, nonetheless has so much to show, and he utterly 100% believes within the undertaking. I’m sue he’ll give us his all, so I’m actually trying ahead to it.”
