Haas has reached an important milestone in its history in Formula 1. For the first time ever, the team is turning a profit and no longer relies on financial backing from Gene Haas. It took years of struggling at the bottom of the championship and many rumours about disputes between team owner and team principal to get there.
That suggests that Ayao Komatsu, who was appointed as team principal in January 2024 has done an exceptional job in his first year in charge. It didn’t look like it at the start though, with Komatsu claiming the team was trailing behind during the 2024 pre-season testing. They were last in the testing standings, focusing more on tyre degradation than anything else.
What a surprise it was when they brought the fight for P6 in the Constructors’ Championship until the last race of the season. Ultimately, they lost to Alpine, but it was still a major success for the team, scoring $30 million in prize money. Needless to say, it’s not only the team principal’s credit, with both Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen scoring points throughout the season. In addition, Ollie Bearman certainly deserves a shout-out too, jumping in the car when Magnussen was unable to drive and scoring points on one occasion.
Besides a well-executed development flow that saw them score in eight of the last nine Grand Prix, their technical partnership with Ferrari was also key. When the factory team performs well, their customer teams usually benefit as well – and Ferrari fought for the Constructor’s title. Moreover, Haas managed to secure another strategically important technical partner in Toyota, meaning they can use Toyota’s wind tunnel and leverage their know-how in the future.
The positive changes extend to different directions as well. This year, their driver pairing will consist of a race winner in Esteban Ocon and a rookie with strong backing from the Ferrari in Ollie Bearman. It’s a step up from their usual strategy to now start focusing on the future of the team instead of short-term goals.
The drivers tasted the 2025 machinery for the first time the past Sunday during a private filming day at Silverstone. The first time they can pull any comparisons will then be pre-season testing in Bahrain coming up next month.
Besides their driver lineup, Komatsu decided to make an important change on the pit wall. Ocon will have the first ever female race engineer in Formula 1, with Laura Müller being promoted from within the team due to her outstanding qualities.
As a midfield team, they won’t need to simply drive to survive anymore. This time they can focus on development to further improve their performance. With some interesting new partnerships beyond just Ferrari and Toyota, they can invest in better tools and offer their drivers a competitive machine.
With this major success for a smaller American team, it’s no wonder other teams are knocking on Formula 1’s metaphorical doors, trying to get in. Cadillac will be the first to test the waters as the eleventh constructor. And if they manage to be successful, the grid may not stop at just eleven teams.