Haas boss Ayao Komatsu addressed a misconception about the Ferrari power unit currently used by his team in Formula 1, and highlighted how performance can vary depending on the circuit.
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“I don’t know how anyone can say we are clearly better than Audi. Have you looked at the GPS records? No, I don’t think that can be stated at all. When I talk about power, I am looking purely at the results and the speed on the tracks,” Komatsu stated, reinforcing the importance of objective data in performance evaluation.
The 50-year-old Japanese praised the speed of the Audi power unit and explained that Haas finds itself among Racing Bulls, Audi, and Alpine, with results depending on the characteristics of each circuit: “If we compete well, I know we can stay ahead. Audi is very fast, and Racing Bulls is too. So, basically, we are all together, depending on the circuit,” he stated.
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Komatsu also highlighted the importance of the internal combustion engine and energy management for the midfield teams, without criticizing Ferrari, their supplier: “I am surprised when they say we are clearly better than Audi. This is not a criticism of Ferrari, by any means, but it is interesting, as we are competing against four power unit manufacturers,” he added.
He also commented on the difficulties of overtaking and the strategy differences between the teams: “When we race against these guys, we clearly see different energy deployment capabilities in our strategy. I had to learn this very quickly, and I cannot conclude that we are ahead in straight-line speed. In fact, it is very difficult to overtake,” Komatsu concluded.
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