F1 team principal takes SWIPE at former driver ahead of change in lineup

Haas F1 team principal Ayao Komatsu has delved deeper into the potential of Ollie Bearman and criticised one of their former drivers in the process.

Haas are set to have a brand-new driver lineup in 2025 with Bearman and Esteban Ocon donning the Haas colours.

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Before the start of this season, Haas parted ways with Guenther Steiner following a string of underwhelming performances.

Komatsu, whose association with Haas began in 2016 as engineering director, took up the role of team principal in January 2024.

This season, under Komatsu’s leadership, the American F1 team has showed encouraging signs and currently sit seventh in the constructors’ championship with 27 points, just seven behind VCARB.

Haas to have a new driver lineup for 2025

Current drivers Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen scored the first double points of the season at the Austrian GP, finishing sixth and eighth respectively.

Yet Haas has rarely enjoyed this kind of consistent success and progress in previous seasons. In 2021, the team failed to score a single point in 22 races with rookie drivers Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin.

Haas haven’t particularly succeeded when they have handed youngsters a seat, but are now set to do it again with Bearman.

Although the Brit drove splendidly for Ferrari at the Saudi Arabian GP, standing in for Carlos Sainz, the 19-year-old has little F1 experience under his belt.

Talking to AMuS, Haas team principal Ayo Komatsu iterated that having Bearman in the cockpit will be a vast change to when they had Mazepin.

He said: “Every situation is different. You have to offer drivers an environment in which they can deliver performance.

"You can't put a Nikita Mazepin and an Ollie Bearman in the same category either. That's nonsense. With Ollie, I see a clear potential.

Bearman’s turbulent performances in F2 may have risen questions over his potential but Komatsu is confident that he is pleased with the 19-year-old.

He added: “I have no explanation for this because I don't know enough about Formula 2 and the strengths and weaknesses of the Prema team.

"For me, the data from his FP1 assignments in our car has a much greater value. We have all the information we need.”

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