There was a slight discrepancy between the look and the words. "I am very, very happy," Ayao Komatsu assured the media on the evening after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Though he seemed rather tired and somewhat disappointed instead, as he leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed over his chest.
Led by Komatsu, the team overachieved in 2024. After finishing 10th the year before, even the goal Gene Haas had set for the team to finish eighth seemed unrealistic to many, including Komatsu himself. But from his "we expect to be last" comment at the start of the year in Bahrain, Haas made it all the way to a narrow loss to Alpine in the battle for sixth at the end.
