$250,000 change confirmed following F1 team principal cut

A major change has been revealed for a Formula 1 team ahead of the 2025 season following cuts made by a former team principal.

All 10 F1 teams run under a cost cap and have done so since the regulation came into force in 2021, with Red Bull famously becoming the first outfit to be found guilty of overspending in the first year.

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Team principals have been forced to cut corners on spending as a result, with an extreme example being former Haas F1 boss Guenther Steiner, who chose to make up the margins wherever possible during his tenure with the American outfit.

Steiner acted as team principal for Haas between 2016 and 2023 and in his final year with the team, one of the ways in which he decided to cut costs was by shortening Haas' pit wall.

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Last season, Komatsu delivered Haas' best result since 2018 in the constructors' championship, with the Japanese engineer boosting morale at the team.

Despite a P7 finish in the standings, Komatsu opted to recruit a brand-new driver lineup for 2025, signing experienced racer Esteban Ocon and young British hopeful Ollie Bearman, who shone as a reserve driver last year.

In another attempt to boost Haas' chances as a team for the upcoming season, a report from Autosport has confirmed that the team's pitlane gantry has been expanded in a costly decision to reverse a cut made by Steiner.

In 2023, the Drive to Survive star and former principal opted to cut the team's pit wall box down to just three seats, one for him, Komatsu and former Haas manager Peter Crolla.

Whilst running their new driver duo during pre-season testing in Bahrain this week, Haas debuted an expanded six-seater gantry in a reported $250,000 change which will see the team transport their larger pit wall box to all 24 races in 2025.

According to the latest report, one of the seats will be reserved for Toyota Gazoo Racing director of global motorsport Masaya Kaji, who, when present at race weekends, will likely be joined by the rest of the pit wall team including Komatsu and his new additions to the outfit including sporting director Mark Lowe, chief engineer Francesco Nenci, head of strategy Carine Cridelich and the final slot which will stay reserved for Gene Haas, the team's founder.

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