Ayo Komatsu: Problem-solving unified the team

      In Hungary, Haas F1 team principal Ayo Komatsu summarized the first part of the season, which turned out to be quite challenging for the team...

      Ayo Komatsu: "This season for us is like a roller coaster. The winter tests went smoothly. Then in Melbourne, there was this disaster [the car seriously lost downforce in turns 9-10]. We were in shock. I'll never forget that feeling. I was literally feeling sick. You're not just last – you're last with a six-tenths gap to the penultimate.

      We realized the car had a fundamental problem. And I'm proud of how we responded to this situation. In Melbourne, we hardly slept. Then we understood what the problem was and what could be done immediately. We couldn't wait for the next scheduled upgrade – it was too far off, and on the Suzuka high-speed track, we would have fallen even further behind.

      In Suzuka, we made a step forward, then another with the upgrade in Imola. The problem was solved, and by Silverstone, we released a proper update that made the car better. Now it could fight for points if we execute everything correctly.

      Right now, we have 35 points, are ninth in the standings, but only eight points behind sixth place. The results are very close. To move up, we need to give 100% each weekend and take it step by step.

      If this problem in Melbourne had happened to us 12 months ago, it would have been a disaster. But this year, we managed to cope, and this work and achieved goals have united the entire team. I am very pleased with the team's reaction."