Haas Formula 1 team principal Ayao Komatsu revealed the “biggest challenge” from the Goodwood Festival of Speed and what team owner Gene Haas thought of his first time at the prestigious event.
The American team celebrated 10 years in F1 at the event. Haas joined Komatsu, drivers Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman, and Kazuki Nakajima. The 72-year-old drove the team’s 2023 challenger, the VF23, up the famous hillclimb.
“So Gene ran VF23 because that’s the car we shook down in Silverstone, and then I ran VF24,” Komatsu explained to Motorsport.com and other media.
“But, you know, ’23 and ’24, just in straights, I just didn’t want Gene to have any surprises. Then we had two cars to run. I’m very grateful that I had an opportunity to run alongside Gene. It was amazing that Gene actually drove and he really, really enjoyed it. And, you know, before he turned up, he didn’t know what the Goodwood Festival of Speed was.
“He didn’t know anything [about it]. When I said, ‘Look we’re going to celebrate this year, 10-year anniversary, so I want to go to Goodwood.’ He was like, ‘What’s that?’ Then I explained, ‘But the best thing is if you come.’ And then he agreed to come.
“And then, at some point, I asked him, ‘Do you want to drive? Can you drive?’ And then he agreed. So, that was really good that he’s got the full experience. He was so excited. He was like a kid in a sweet shop. He’s really an enthusiastic guy.
“So, he was free roaming every day, looking at other cars, and he was enjoying all of it, signing autographs, speaking with fans, taking pictures. So, he gets it now. And he said, wow, now I understand why this is a big deal, so many people want to come here. So, that was really good.”
The Haas team chief explained what the “biggest challenge” of the Goodwood hillclimb was.
Gene Haas, Owner and Founder, Haas F1 Team
Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images
“Both Gene and myself drove slowly to be safe, but one of the biggest challenges is to get out of the assembly area because we haven’t got enough lock, and we’re not going to be doing spin turns, are we?
“So, and then you saw that video of Red Bull, right? I think that was a sim racer guy drove straight into the haystack. That’s the sort of thing we worry about. And it’s just lock is not enough. So, that’s the difficulty.
“And you’ve only got a clutch pedal, which is only on one side. So, even when you finish the run, you have to anticipate it, and you have to swap hands, and then put the clutch on this side. So, those are more challenges.”
In this article
Be the first to know and subscribe for real-time news email updates on these topics
